I Want Your Blood: Remake
by SmexxiAnime115
Summary: After Hinata Hyuga's family died in a tragic car crash seven years ago, she learned to take care of herself over the years. All was going well for her, she made friends that became close enough for her to call family and even discovered love. Yes, all was going well for her, until a strange voice beckoned her to an abandoned church and changed her life forever.
1. We Meet

"_It's the middle of the school year and nothing exciting has happened," _I thought.

I was staring out of the window next to my desk on the third floor. It was the middle of class but at this point I really didn't care. I was so bored with this class and this city that I couldn't take it and just didn't care about anything anymore.

"_But…"_

My eyes found their way to the abandoned church that sat about five blocks away from Konoha High School, my school. The church was nothing special. It was rundown, old, and so broken that it was no longer appealing to the eye. Five years ago some pastor wanted to buy the church in hopes of saving it, but as soon as he walked inside he changed his mind. And I don't blame him. The building is hideous.

"_That church has always caught my attention despite how ugly I find it. I wonder why? I don't think there's anything special about it, but I'd like to know what's inside of it…"_

I was so mesmerized by the building that I didn't even notice that my teacher was standing next to me and was calling my name.

"Hinata… Hinata… Hinata!" she called.

"Huh?" I said, completely unaware of what was going on. "Oh, Kurenai sensei. I-I didn't mean to daydream."

She raised her thin eyebrows in disbelief. Clearly she wasn't convinced enough to let this go. "Oh really? You've been doing this for a while now. Are you getting enough sleep? Maybe you should see the nurse?" She suggested it, but it sounded more like a demand.

"No, no. That won't be necessary. I'll pay attention to the lesson."

Her hands were on her hips. "Alright." Turning back around to the front of the room, she announced, "Now, everyone, turn to page 438 in your textbook and we'll continue our lesson."

"_My daydreaming is getting worse. Nowadays, it's as if I can't even detect when I do it or even control it. And every time I get sucked into it, it's usually within view of that church." _I gazed out of the window once more. "_I should really explore it one of these days. It might put an end to my problem."_

Staring even more deeply at the building, I felt something eerie about it, something unnatural and wicked, but oddly the term "wicked" enticed me. It almost made me want to be closer to the abandoned building. But as I looked onward and studied more of its features I jolted in my seat from a faint scream that I heard. It sounded like it came from the church.

Without thinking, I stood up in my seat and asked, "Did anyone hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sakura Haruno asked. She and I have been friends ever since elementary school. In my eyes, and to almost everyone else's, Sakura was the prettiest and kindest girl in school. Her pink, silky hair rested on her shoulders and her beautiful green eyes stared up at me from her seat. She was obviously concerned and looking into her eyes made me regret ever saying anything to worry her.

"Yes," Kurenai asked angrily. Sensei had to be fed up with me by now. This has been going on for a couple of months now. "Hear what?"

I hesitated and began to fidget with my fingers. Fidgeting with my fingers was a habit I picked up about seven years ago after an incident happened that involved my family and me. "A scream," I said. "I heard a scream coming from outside. I think it came from the church."

Kurenai sensei instantly became furious. "That's it!" She wrote a quick pass for me. "You're going to the nurse."

I tried to object but it was futile. There was no use in fighting against her. Each and every time she was the one who won each battle.

Before I stepped out, Ino called from the back of the room "Sakura and I will wait for you after school."

Ino Yamanaka was also one of my best friends but I didn't know her for nearly as long as I had Sakura. Like Sakura, I saw Ino as a beautiful girl, but not as pretty as Sakura. And Ino also wasn't as kind as Sakura, but I still loved her as much as my pink haired friend.

Ino was a blonde with long hair. She always had it up in a ponytail with a fringe covering her right eye. Her eyes were a beautiful light blue and they had this unnatural feel to them whenever I stared at them. Sakura's reputation had always been the pretty, smart girl but Ino wasn't quite known for that. She was more known for her promiscuity. She could get anyone into bed without even having to try. I'm not sure if it's because of her enticing features or her alluring charisma. Either way, with those powers, Ino Yamanaka had great enemies and close friends.

I nodded at Ino and Sakura and left the classroom.

The visit to the nurse took longer than I expected. He inspected my reflexes and shown a light in my eyes. My guess is that he wanted to see if I was high or something, but during his inspection, the nurse seemed more curious than concerned about my health. Maybe Kurenai sensei had been giving him details about my daydreaming escapades? Whatever the reasons were for his prolonged examination, I was twenty minutes late to meet up with my friends after school. I had to hurry to the front of the school because I feared they were going to leave me or they had already left.

The weight that my heart carried suddenly became lifted when I saw them still waiting for me outside.

"Thanks for waiting," I called to them.

"No problem. That's what friends do," Ino said.

"So what happened in the nurse's office? Are you okay," Sakura asked.

I smiled reassuringly. "He said that I was healthy."

"I'm so jealous of you, Hinata," Ino said. She wore one of the many flirty smiles that she always made when talking to or talking about boys. "Kakashi sensei is so hot! He can examine me any time he wants."

Sakura showed Ino her smug smirk. "I heard he was gay. There are rumors about him sleeping with Guy sensei." She just said that to bring Ino's hopes of sleeping with Kakashi sensei down. I hate that Ino is a slut but I think Sakura hates it more than I do because she's actually seen Ino in action.

"No," she whined. I couldn't believe that she actually believed Sakura. "What a waste! Don't you think so too, Hinata?"

I merely smiled at them and looked towards the church completely uninterested in what they were discussing. I only had one person that I wanted to notice me and I had known him just as long as I had Sakura. He's very popular in our school and every girl wanted to be with him, especially Ino. I think he's the only guy Ino wouldn't have a one night stand with. His name is… oddly, now I can't remember his name. That's strange. How could I possibly forget?

"Hey Hinata," Ino scolded. "I'm talking to you!"

"O-Oh, sorry…" The name thing was starting to get to me.

Sakura looked worried and Ino seemed to not notice my sudden lapse in reality.

"What's on your mind," Sakura asked.

"The church," I said as casually as possible but my pink haired friend still appeared concerned. That building is always weighing on my mind and I really wanted to know more about it so I couldn't think about it anymore. "Do you guys know anything about it?"

"Well…" Ino said. "There are rumors floating around that only women go missing whenever they go inside it but I think it's a bunch of bullshit. There's just as many people walking around Konohagakure as there were yesterday."

"We should explore it," I proposed.

"What? I am _so_ not risking my life over some curiosity. Sorry."

"Why don't we go home for today? I think you need some sleep, Hinata. It's been a long day," Sakura said.

"No wait," Ino said. She then whispered to Sakura as if I wasn't there, and couldn't her, "Naruto's checking Hinata out again."

Sakura followed Ino's gaze. "Oh, yeah he is. She doesn't even notice. But I think she's still crushing on him, though."

"I think she's crushing on the church more."

"Shh! He's coming over."

It suddenly hit me. Naruto Uzumaki, the most popular and handsome boy in Konoha High. I forgot _his_ name. I knew him almost all of my life but only spoke to him about five times total. My timid personality got the best of me whenever he even looked at me, so, in turn, I don't even look his way to avoid turning red like a tomato.

As he walked over to us, I couldn't help but to check him out. Naruto Uzumaki has blonde hair and he purposely styles it to be spiky and stick out in all directions, but as odd as it may seem, his blonde locks are soft and silky, not hard and stiff like I always expect it to be from excessive gel use. Naruto also has blue eyes, like Ino, but his are blue like the ocean. A vast ocean that I could sail in forever and never look back. His lips are full and when I catch myself staring at them, I imagine myself kissing them. He has no flaws on his beautiful face, aside from the scars on his cheeks. Years ago, Naruto got in a tragic accident he refuses to talk about that killed both of his parents and left him with whisker-like scars on either side of his face.

As for his body, Naruto works out at the local gym and at school. Since the accident, Naruto vowed to himself that he wanted to become strong enough to prevent anything tragic happening to himself or to anyone he loves. As a result, he has the best body in the school, good enough to model if he wanted to. When he wears tight T-shirts, I find myself biting my bottom lip and picturing doing much more with him than kissing. In my eyes, everything about Naruto Uzumaki is perfect and I never wanted anybody in my life more than I wanted Naruto.

"Hey, Hinata." He greeted me with his sweet voice and a charming smile. His teeth were white, straight, and gorgeous. They're so gorgeous that he could be on one of those toothpaste commercials that piss everyone off because their teeth aren't as straight, and will never be, and as white as the actors' who truthfully get their teeth straightened and bleached by a professional.

My face felt red hot and I quickly averted my eyes away from my crush. "Hi, N-Naruto…" My voice was so quiet that I doubt he heard me.

It took Naruto a while to answer; my guess was that he piecing together what I just said. "I, um, noticed you and wanted to know if you were free today?"

"I-I, um…" Was Naruto Uzumaki asking me out? Why me of all people? I'm certainly not pretty enough for someone as sexy as Naruto.

Just as I was going to say yes, a voice popped into my mind, a voice other than my own. It was man's voice. It said _"No"_ and he said the word rudely. Almost as if he hated Naruto and he wanted me to hate him too.

To my surprise, and dismay, I also said no. When I repeated the word, or more like message, to Naruto, I almost felt like I hated Naruto just as much as the mysterious voice. To my luck, I didn't sound scornful, I just sounded… lifeless.

"Oh, o-okay." He obviously was disappointed by my response and the hyperactive happiness faded a little from his blue eyes. "I understand. It'd be weird to hang out with a stranger, right? I'll look for you tomorrow, alright?"

Completely embarrassed, he walked back to his friends, Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru Nara. Judging by their demeanor, they were asking Naruto what happened.

Ino was immediately on my case. "Naruto Uzumaki asked you out and you said no? What's wrong with you?!"

"Leave her alone, Ino. She's just tired, right, Hinata? I'll walk you home." Sakura was very concerned and the more concerned she got, the more worried I became about my health. Maybe there really was something wrong with me?

Sakura took me home just like she said but didn't stick around. Instead, she ordered me to go straight to bed. How could I object to her? Sleep sounded like a good idea right now. And who knows? I could be normal when I woke up in the morning and everything would return to normal and I could go out with Naruto after all.

However, the next day _was_ worse. Even more worse than I thought it could get. In class, I stared out of the window longer than usual. I also acquired a couple of new symptoms. I often mumbled to myself, but not loud enough for anyone to hear besides me. I also rubbed my neck constantly in the same spot. My friends noticed it and pointed it out to Kurenai sensei after class one day and she decided to call in Principal Tsunade to observe the class. I knew, however, that Principal Tsunade came for me.

"I'm sure you all noticed Principal Tsunade at the back of the classroom. She will be observing us today." When sensei said "observing" I couldn't but notice that she looked at me. "Now, open your textbooks and take out your homework."

Everyone obeyed besides me. I heard everything that was going on but I continued to watch the church. It was more appealing to me than yesterday and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Yesterday, I was mesmerized by how hideous it looked. Today, it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Hinata," Kurenai called.

I didn't respond or move. Even though I heard her clearly, my body wouldn't listen to me and I couldn't speak.

"Hinata."

I was still unable to respond.

She walked over to me and tapped my shoulder. My attention went immediately to her. Odd. Usually Kurenai sensei was a beautiful woman but now… she was the ugliest person in the room. Almost too ugly to be human.

She gasped as soon as I looked at her. I felt as though I was looking into her soul. Her true self? But that's impossible.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Did I space out again? I won't do it again. I promise."

"R-Right." Kurenai cleared her throat. "Do you have your homework?"

"I…" Just then, I was interrupted by the mysterious voice again. I winced in pain and held my head. I now had a headache. _"I didn't do it."_

"You… didn't do it?" She repeated it as if she didn't hear me correctly. I _always_ did my homework.

"_Are you deaf? I just said that I didn't."_ The voice fed me the lines. Even though it wasn't technically me, I still felt guilty each time I spoke to Kurenai sensei.

"What's gotten into you?" Kurenai asked me that question as if she knew something was off, like she knew this wasn't me. She knew but there obviously was no explanation for this.

I leaned in closer to my sensei and whispered so that only she and I could hear what I was about to say. _"I think you should die next. What do you think, Kurenai?"_

Somehow Tsunade heard me and the principal shot up from her chair that sat in the back of the room. "You're out of line, little girl!"

Her unexpected shouting snapped me out of my trance.

"It's not her fault," Kurenai said. Why was she defending me? "I think she's ill."

"If she's ill, then she needs to go home," Tsunade argued.

Sakura shot up from her desk, which was a big move for her since she was afraid of Tsunade. She's a pretty woman but very tough. For interfering, Sakura could suffer some serious punishment, especially since I just put Tsunade in a foul mood.

"On her own?" Sakura asked.

Principal Tsunade crossed her arms. "She'll be fine. If she got to school this morning by herself then she can get home by herself." Her words were harsh and we all knew Sakura was going to get more from Tsunade later.

Sakura and Ino stared at me, as well as the rest of the class, one last time before I left the room. There is going to be so much gossip about me when I get back tomorrow _if_ I even decide to come back tomorrow.

I left the school feeling so frustrated and confused. I wanted answers. I _needed_ answers. I thought to myself on my lonely journey home, _"What's wrong with me? I never used to be this spaced out before. Am I dying? Do I have some kind of unknown disease?"_

Then it suddenly came to me as I noticed I was approaching the abandoned church. My apartment wasn't even in this direction. It freaked me out a bit, I admit. But it occurred to me that this was probably my chance to solve my problem.

Hesitantly, I approached the front door to the old building. The outside was even dirtier than I thought. The bushes outside of the church were so overgrown that the branches from the bushes were extending past the sidewalk and some branches rested on the porch. Overgrown vines descended from the roof and covered the dusty old windows, and the dark bricks on the outside of the building were covered in all of the plants that surrounded the building.

The iron banister was covered in rust. When I slid my hand on the railing, rust appeared on my palm and fingers and the brittle paint chipped off easily. Disgusted, I removed my hand from it immediately and clasped my hands together in an attempt to rid myself of the rust.

The door that I was about to open was old and worn from many years of use. The paint of the wooden door was fading due to age and neglect. When I observed the hinges, I couldn't help but notice the rust on the iron. The rust on the hinges were worse than the banister and it looked like the door would fall off if I tried to open it. But I reached out and turned the doorknob anyway. I pushed the door open and years' worth of dust escaped to the outside world.

I stepped inside the building that had been beckoning me for months and called out cautiously, "H-Hello?"

After a few steps into the room, the door closed behind me. I immediately went back to the door and tried to open it but it didn't even budge. It was locked. How?

"Help!" I cried as I banged on the door.

My heart picked up incredible speed when I heard slow footsteps approaching from behind me. I stopped banging on the door and slowly turned around to see who was there. If I was going to die, I might as well see who my killer was, right?

"You finally came to me," the person said. A man? He had a familiar voice… It sounded like the voice that was speaking for me to Naruto and Kurenai sensei.

I subconsciously backed up against the door and I managed to call out into the blinding darkness. "Who a-are you? W-Who's there?"

It was dark and very, very little light from the windows poured in, what I assumed to be, the lobby's room. If I had a few more moments of time to study the room I would've been able to identify it, but my captor stepped right into the light so that I could see his face. I gasped at his beauty that rivaled Naruto's. The devilish smirk that he wore only made the rare beauty that he possessed more alluring and hard for me to determine who was more attractive.

He was a beautiful man, even more beautiful than Naruto. This man had raven-like hair that was as black as night and it was chin-length. It framed his face and carried a dark blue sheen to it and his eyes were black. When I stared at his eyes, they pulled me in just like the trances that I went into every time I looked at this church. Eyelashes never caught my attention but this was an exception. This man's eyelashes were long and thick. They complimented his facial features well but with all of the dark colors that he owned, his skin appeared pale. Ghostly pale. No warmth resided in his skin just like a dead person.

"Forgive me." The man bowed. "I am Sasuke Uchiha."

I was frozen in fear but I urged myself to at least introduce myself. It seemed like the right thing to do for some reason, even in a situation like this. "I-I'm Hinata Hyuga…"

"That's a pretty name. Enchanting even." He gave me an evil look that matched his smirk and said his next lines devilishly. "Just like the sound of your heartbeat."

The strong fear that immobilized me suddenly disappeared and I gained the ability to turn around. I tried to pull the door open once more but to no avail. I was scared. Death was standing right behind me.

In an instant the monster was right behind me. He pressed his body against mine and one his hands trailed down my body and planted itself on my waist. The other hand made its way to my face and caressed it gently. I felt myself trembling in his hold and wanted nothing more than to leave.

He moved my dark indigo hair away from my ear and whispered in it. "Wait. Don't leave. I haven't tasted you yet."

The predator cocked my head to the side and exposed my neck. His cold lips pressed against my warm skin and I felt the sharp fangs sink into my neck. I screamed from the pain but as soon as he sunk his teeth into me, he pulled away and spit out the blood.

He wiped his mouth and said, "Ew! Your blood is too sweet!"

Breathing harshly, I covered my bleeding neck. I was losing so much blood and it was seeping down my white, collared uniform shirt. I was in shock. A vampire? Is that what he is? They don't exist. They're just folklore, right? And one certainly cannot exist in Konohagakure without being detected, yet, how is this one here?

He laughed to himself. "I certainly got lucky. I haven't met one of your kind in a long time."

I pulled my widened eyes away from the river of blood staining my clothes to meet my attacker. "W-What are you talking about?"

"A healer. You're a healer. That's why your blood is so sweet. It's very rare to come across one of you. You're very valuable, Hinata Hyuga."

Even though I should've been more concerned about bleeding to death, I found myself asking, "A-Am I going to turn into a vampire?"

Sasuke laughed hysterically. It was as if I said the funniest joke in the world and once he stopped, it was hard for him to answer me without chuckling. "No. That will only happen if you drink my blood and… if you sleep with me."

"What does sex have to do with becoming a vampire?" That seemed _very_ much like a lie.

"Intimate intercourse is the only time when humans become one and share DNA other than kissing. It makes perfect sense, human."

At this time I felt very weak. I was losing more and more blood and this vampire was just talking to me as if I _wasn't_ dying. How many people came here that he killed off? If there were any, there weren't any news reports about it. Like Ino said, there are just as many people walking around Konohagakure as there were yesterday.

"_How am I going to get out of here alive?"_ I thought._ "There seems like no possible way out, especially with Sasuke watching my every move. Will I ever get to see my friends again? Or Naruto? If I do escape then things certainly will return to what they once were since I found the source of my problem, right? Surely Sasuke isn't cruel enough to just kill me off after discovering how rare I supposedly am."_ I swiftly glanced at Sasuke and met his eyes. They were cold and merciless as he studied me thoroughly. _"Maybe he'll let me go once he realizes how useful I really am?"_

"Are you worried about getting home, back to your friends, back to the 'normal' life that you once had? If so, you should start rethinking things. You just met a supernatural being. I'm afraid that I can't let you get away without you joining me or me killing you. I can't risk you leaking all of what you just saw and experienced here to the outside world."

He can read minds too? Somehow when he protruded my mind, I felt filthy. He could do anything he wanted with that power since I'm mentally weak at the moment and there was no way that I could block my thoughts from him if possible.

The vampire walked up to me, his face inches from mine. "Are you ready to faint yet?"

"Why do you want know that?" I was surprised at how I said my words. They sounded hateful but Sasuke seemed to love the way I said them. His mouth curled into a smile after I finished speaking and he backed up a little.

"So I can patch you up," he said plainly. "You won't follow me willingly and even though you're not much of a fight, I don't feel like putting in effort to treat you."

He extended his hand for me to take. I looked at it and then back at his face. He was smirking. As much as I hated to see that expression on his face, I took a step forward and reached for his hand. But when I took that step I became very dizzy and the room grew even darker as I felt my body falling for the rotten floor. I fainted.

The next thing I knew, I was in a bedroom. My consciousness hadn't fully returned to me but I was aware enough to see Sasuke sitting beside me on a chair. He was watching me again. _"Doesn't he have anything better to do?" _I studied him and noticed he wasn't paying attention to my face. Instead, he was watching my body. Peering down, I saw my bra. Even though I was in a bit of a daze from the blood loss, I couldn't help but notice that I was missing my shirt. I shot up and covered my body as much as I possibly could. I tried my best to ignore the headache and vertigo that claimed me, but it proved difficult.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Rage consumed me. Sasuke had not been fazed though. Again, he appeared amused. "Where is my shirt?!"

"Calm down. I was just looking." His eyes left my body and found my face. "Your shirt is drying. I washed it for you. Your welcome." He stood up and sat next to me on the bed. He looked me in the eyes and he no longer had that mesmerizing glint in them. "I've been waiting for you for so long, Hinata."

Confused and uncomfortable, I inched farther away from Sasuke but no matter how far I got from him, it seemed like I was moving nowhere. That supernatural pull he had on me kept me right where he wanted me and I had no say in it whatsoever. I had no power to get away. "What are you talking about?" I was annoyed. I wanted to leave and never see him again.

"I dreamed of you for so long. I don't know why I just now noticed." Happiness lingered in his eyes and a bit of disbelief. He had the expression of someone who was attending a long awaited reunion with a past lover. "If I touch you, it feels like you'll disappear and this'll be another dream… almost as if you never existed."

He reached out and caressed my face again. This time he did it lovingly, but his cold hand gently rubbing my face and stroking my hair made me shiver. He touched me so gently and stared at me like if he pressed any harder I'd shatter like glass right before him. Kind of like a magic trick. A cruel magic trick that was performed for Sasuke many times.

"You're mistaking me for someone else," I said. I didn't want him to look at me like that. Like he loved me. I only want one person to look at me like that and if anybody else was going to fall in love with me, I didn't want it to be the monster that bit me and watched me slowly lose consciousness.

"No…" he breathed. "I definitely am not. You look exactly like her."

"Who?"

"Kana Oshiro…" He whispered the name. When he said it, it sounded as if someone stabbed him in the heart. "You do not have the same surname, but your faces are the same. You must be her reincarnation. You have to be."

I was _almost_ afraid to ask what happened to her. Almost. "What happened to her? Did she die?"

He looked away from me and I couldn't help but feel relieved. "Kana was killed by my brother, so I killed him in return."

I was astonished. "You chose Kana over your brother? Why?"

His eyes found mine. "I was in love."

He saw the disgust on my face and seemed hurt. He then said, "Of course you'd choose family over a lover. You have no family and haven't for a long time. I don't expect you to understand."

In a boiling rage that took over me, I slapped at him. The way he said "family" made it sound like a dirty word, a word he found himself too good to be saying. "_You've_ been alive for so long that you forgot what it means to have family. I'm not the one who needs to understand, Sasuke, _you_ are!" I said his name the same way he said "family" which he gave me deep frown for that I smirked at. "Where is my shirt? I need to leave now." I calmly stood up from the bed, no longer caring that Sasuke could see my skin.

I noticed my shirt on a rack in the room so I grabbed it and put it on. As I began to walk towards the door, Sasuke caught hold of my wrist. His eyes, as dark and as endless as the abyss, stared at me pleadingly. "You belong to me, Hinata."

I released a humorless laugh. "No I don't. I don't belong to anyone."

"When I'm done with you, you'll think otherwise. You won't want that boy Naruto that you've been lusting after all of this time." He smiled devilishly. "I could always eat him to get rid of the competition."

Somehow, I got my wrist from his hold. He shouldn't be so sure of himself when I just met him and knew nothing about my taste in men. I've liked Naruto for years and Sasuke had nothing on him. "Don't touch me. You definitely don't know what love is if you're threatening me."

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. He was not messing around. I felt as though I was suddenly in danger and decided to flee out of the room. I ran down the rotten, wooden staircase and ended up in the lobby. I quickly headed to the front door but didn't even get within a yard of it when I noticed Sasuke blocking my path through the darkness.

I came to an immediate halt. "Why do you want me so badly? I'm not your precious Kana and I certainly don't want to be! Get out of my way!"

Using that super speed, Sasuke appeared in front of me and took my hand. He brought my hand to his lips and brushed them against the surface of my hand. Slowly, he looked at me. We made eye contact. "You've brought happiness and light into my life in ways that you can't even imagine, Hinata. Hope came along with you when I thought it was lost as soon as you walked through that door. I can't just let you return to Naruto when I love you so much more." Desperation lingered in his voice. He was serious.

"I can't return your feelings. Sorry."

He closed his eyes. "I understand."

"I _need_ to leave. Even if I could stay with you, I can't. I have school tomorrow."

"Skip it." He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "After all, tomorrow's Friday."

"It's important, Sasuke." After what happened this afternoon, I had to go back to prove to everyone that I was fine. I had no reputation, at least not one that I knew about, so I had to go back before I earned the "Crazy Girl Who Talks to Herself" title.

"I like the way my name sounds coming out of your mouth." He smiled again but this smile was different. He truly looked happy and it made him look even more attractive. I found my face getting hot but not nearly as hot as it did with Naruto.

In a pitiful attempt to hide my embarrassment, I scoffed at his flirtation.

"Fine. Go to school," he said. He rested his hands on my arms. "But I want you here after school, and I want you to stay with me for the entire weekend."

"I can't. I just met you and…" my eyes scanned the room, recalling how filthy it was here, "it's really dirty in here. I'll have nowhere to sleep or eat, either."

His eyes turned red and our eyes locked. He chanted, _"You will stay with me."_

Sasuke's voice sounded so beautiful and convincing. It echoed through my mind and enticed me to do his bidding. How could I refuse such a pretty voice and man? With a voice like that, I was willing to jump off of a bridge or even hop right into bed with him if he wanted. I repeated after the beautiful stranger, _"I will stay with you."_

He smiled. "I'm glad that you agree with me, my love." He caressed my face even more lovingly than earlier, which felt so good that a moan was on the verge of escaping into the dusty air, and then stole my first kiss.


	2. Drenched

I returned to school the next day without any problems. Everyone was surprised at my over-the-night recovery. Kurenai sensei appeared even more astonished than the rest of the class though. Or maybe I should say she seemed like she couldn't believe it. Every time sensei looked at me it was as if she was seeing a ghost. I couldn't blame her really. I was my normal self again over night.

Sakura and Ino gave me hugs when I returned. They claimed to have called my cell phone but I never heard it go off or had any missed calls. My cell phone is pretty new so I don't think it'd neglect to receive call or texts but it suddenly occurred to me that it was probably Sasuke's fault. When he wants a meal, he lets _nothing_ get in his way and he proved that last night. But since I am no longer considered a meal, I guess I should say he'll let no one try to take his "possession". Even for a moment. Yesterday when I met him for the first time, he commanded me to go to him after school and spend the entire weekend with him. It'll be just me and him. I already don't want to, especially after he stole my first kiss, but I have the feeling that Sasuke would hunt me down if I didn't show.

The day went by smoothly without incident. Nothing unusual happened and the last bell for the school day rang before any of us knew it. The time flew by much quicker than any of us expected.

On the way out of the building Sakura asked me "Where were you? I went to your apartment after school and you weren't there."

"I, uh, I was at a friend's house. Sorry to worry you, Sakura."

"A friend? Is it a boy?" Ino asked with much enthusiasm. "Is he cute?"

"Yes it's a boy and he's cute." I couldn't believe that I called Sasuke "cute". Those words couldn't have belonged to me but Sasuke's long distance compulsion wasn't on me so it had to be me. This vampire was getting me to say things that I didn't want to say even without the use of his magic.

"You should let us meet him," Ino persisted.

"That's not a good idea. He's… not a people person," I said.

"Then at least tell me his name?"

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke? Is that your boyfriend, Hinata?"

I took my attention away from my friends and met Naruto Uzumaki. I don't know how much he heard but all that mattered to me was that he was behind us. Talking to me. Why does he bother with me? I'll never understand. An ordinary girl like me shouldn't even be worth his time.

"Naruto…" I breathed.

"Who's Sasuke?" He sounded jealous. He didn't try to hide it either.

"A friend of mine." I spoke without meeting Naruto's eyes.

Sakura and Ino took that as their cue to leave us alone. They headed down the hall swiftly. Naruto may have thought that they left but I knew that they were hiding somewhere where they could hear our conversation. Normally this would have annoyed me but since it was Naruto's and my conversation that they were eavesdropping on, it made me comfortable to know that they were around.

"Oh. Can I meet him?" What is it with boys? Is everything a competition? Even though I told Naruto that Sasuke was just a friend, jealousy thickly coated his voice. In a sense it turned me on.

Not wanting Naruto to assume what was clearly weighing on his mind I said "Sure that is if you don't mind coming to the abandoned church."

He smiled and showed me his teeth. My face got hot. "I'll go anywhere you want me to. I'll see you tomorrow then, Hinata."

"B-Bye."

He walked away and I felt completely stupid. Why did I invite him? Sasuke will eat him if given the chance and not only that, I might expose his secret. I sighed in frustration. I hope he doesn't get mad at me.

Sakura and Ino hastily approached me. Sakura complained "How come Naruto can meet Sasuke and not us?"

They were staring at me with eagerness and tried to come off as nonchalant but it wasn't working. "Come along then."

"Really?" Ino said in disbelief.

"Yeah. Stop by and say hello. Sasuke won't mind." I hoped that I sounded more confident than I felt. These two could see through any façade that I present.

They smiled indicating that they'll be stopping by too. Great. Sasuke might eat them too.

I let out an even deeper sigh. _"I hope he's okay with this,"_ I thought.

Later that day, I went to my small apartment and gathered all of the essentials I needed to stay for two days. As I was packing, I couldn't believe that I was staying with a stranger. A stranger who eats people to survive. If I thought I was crazy before I met Sasuke when I kept staring at his church, then I must be _really_ crazy now. I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for his powerful charisma and charm.

Within about an hour of trying to remember all of the things I needed to take and pack, I was ready and walked to the church. On the way there, I worried about what Sasuke would say or do when I told him that I invited my friends over. I can't imagine him accepting it without becoming angry first… _if_ he even accepts it and decides to go out to kill them before they arrive.

I approached the church. I reached out to open the door when Sasuke beat me to it. He opened the door and stepped outside into the sunlight. He smiled lovingly and said with a charming "Welcome" that made my heart stop.

I gasped and pushed him back into the lobby.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You can die from being in the sunlight… Can't you?"

He laughed and today it didn't sound as creepy as it did yesterday. There was a warmth to it that made my beating heart leap. "No, that's just a rumor. Although, we can't stay out in the sun for more than twenty-four hours total or else we'd weaken and then have to undergo rejuvenation."

"Oh." I became embarrassed by my ignorance. He, however, found it cute. He stared at me adoringly. It was a face that would take me a while to get used to after seeing what a monster he could be upon first impression.

"Sasuke?" I said. I hid my hesitation and fear of what he might do when I told him that I invited "lunch" over to meet him tomorrow afternoon. "I, um, I invited some friends over to meet you tomorrow. Do you mind?"

"No. Which friends?"

That was easier than I thought it would be. Much easier. "Sakura, Ino, and Naruto."

He became disgusted almost instantaneously. "Oh. _Those_ people."

I crossed my arms in disapproval. "What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing. It's just that Ino's a pig, Sakura is _way_ too concerned about you all of the time, and I don't like Naruto."

I became immediately defensive when I heard he didn't like Naruto. I already knew that he didn't like him but it was different when I actually heard him say it. In a sense, I was offended even though it wasn't me he said that he didn't like.

"Because he's a boy?" I asked, my arms still over my chest.

"Possibly." He kissed my hand. "It's because he's competition and I don't like having competition." I looked away from him. That pissed me off, which he noticed and changed the subject. "Why don't you put your stuff upstairs? I have to feed anyway."

I took my hand back from Sasuke and said "Okay."

Feed? He was going to eat a person? While I was here? I wonder what kind of facial expression I was making just then because Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows and gave me a wry smile. He knew what I was thinking. How could he not? My face probably told him everything I was feeling about that.

When I saw Sasuke go through the door in the lobby that led to the basement I went upstairs quickly. I sat my belongings in the bedroom Sasuke took me to yesterday when I fainted. I expected the sound from the basement to come soon but even though I covered my ears to drown out the screaming, I still heard the girl's piercing voice as clear as day.

Later that day, I became uncomfortable with my surroundings. Everything in here was coated with dust. Thick layers of dust. And it also only contained outdated, hard furniture. Staying here for two days will definitely take an emotional and physical turn on my mind and body. I desperately wanted to do something about my current living conditions.

"Sasuke?" I asked when I approached him in the lobby. "Do you have any cleaning supplies?"

"Yes. Do you want to clean?"

I nodded. He saw how uncomfortable I was and offered his assistance. He went through the basement door to get the supplies and I couldn't help but become curious about what was down there too. Knowing my curiosity would get the better of me if I prolonged my intense curiosity; I looked away and observed my surroundings once more. I sighed and realized that this is going to be a lot of work.

A few moments later, Sasuke returned with the supplies and handed them to me.

"Change of plans," he said apologetically. "Can you clean while I get the furniture today?"

I winced and became slightly annoyed. "You want me to clean _everything_ all by myself? I'm still human, remember?"

He smiled devilishly. "You have the option whether you want to turn or not."

"There's no option there. I'll stay human and I'll die human."

That smile never left his face as he left out of the door.

If it's one thing that I learned from my late mother, it's how to cook, clean, and garden. Thanks to her, all of those things are essential here. If I was going to start on anything, it was going to be outside. Those bushes were ferociously large and the vines that descended from an unknown place needed some serious tending. I clipped the branches and vines, mowed the lawn, pulled out the weeds, and disposed of the dead flowers surrounding the neglected church within about thirty minutes. Not bad for all that there was to do and believe me, there was a lot.

Next, I went back inside and dusted off every surface possible and rid the walls, corners, and staircase of cobwebs. After that, I pushed all of the furniture I could out of the building and when I swept the wooden floors I realized that they weren't rotten. Underneath all of that dust was a beautiful hardwood floor that would look brand new after I waxed it thoroughly.

The fireplace was going to be, without a doubt, the hardest thing here to accomplish cleaning wise. Decades, maybe even centuries, worth of thick layers of charcoal and dirt stains resided in that old thing. I prayed that the brick walls of the fireplace weren't permanently stained and to my luck, they weren't. It took five trash bags full of charcoal and dirt to get through that old thing but I did it, feeling proud that I accomplished cleaning a fireplace for the first time.

I cleaned the windows and so much light bathed the room that it temporarily blinded me. They also looked brand new once taken care of. Immediately after the windows were done, I went straight to mopping the floors and staircase. When the floor dried, I waxed the hell out of it. This was my favorite part out of my entire experience cleaning this dirty place. I was sweating like a waterfall but I wanted to wait until Sasuke returned because if I helped to remove the rest of the furniture and then replace them, showering would be futile.

After hours of cleaning, Sasuke finally walked through the front door. He was carrying a queen sized mattress in one arm and its matching box spring in the other. It caught me by surprise, or maybe it was shock, when I saw him. I never underestimated his strength but right now, I felt like I had.

"Aren't those heavy?" I asked as I rushed over to him. I wanted to help.

"No." He sat them both down by the doorway and went back outside to get the rest of the furniture.

I peered outside to watch him. Sasuke didn't look exhausted at all as he pulled two sofas out of one of the two moving trucks. I couldn't help but become mesmerized as I watched him. He was beautiful but he looked even more beautiful in the sunlight. When Sasuke noticed me staring, he smiled that infamous devilish smile that he always gave me, and slung the sofas over his shoulders.

I stepped aside as he walked through the door. He kept that smile on his face and asked "Were you checking me out, Hinata?"

"N-No! Why would I do that?" I got hot once again.

Together we, mainly Sasuke, took out the old furniture and replaced it all. He also brought in new wooden doors to replace all of the worn ones (except for the basement). Compared to the hours I spent cleaning, this process went much faster and we were finished within an hour or two.

My clothes were ruined. Dirt, dust, sweat, and grass stains coated the fabric of my T-shirt and jeans. Inevitably, I had to throw them out because there was no hope of saving them.

I stepped into the brand new shower and wasted no time in scrubbing the hell out of my skin and hair. Once I finished shampooing it, it looked so much lighter as my long locks rested on my chest and wet the pajama shirt that Sasuke let me keep. I thought about letting it dry but I was too tired and as soon as my head hit the pillow on my new bed, I fell straight to sleep.

In the morning, I awoke to find Sasuke sitting beside me on the bed. He startled me and I jolted away from him. It's been years since I woke up to someone beside me.

He handed me a tray of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I took a quick glance at it and then back up at him. "What's this?"

"Breakfast."

It was well prepared. I just didn't trust him quite yet. What if there was some kind of drug in there or blood?

"Just take it," he said. "I can hear your stomach from here."

Cautiously, I took it from him. He looked hurt because I didn't trust him but it's only normal, right? We met two days ago and he tried to eat me and hold me captive. It'd be weird if I _did_ trust him. I think Sasuke lost some of his social skills some time throughout his vampire life.

"I'm going to feed," Sasuke told me. "Call your friends when you're done eating."

I ate, called my friends, got dressed, and brushed my hair. Before I left to meet my friends downstairs, I couldn't help but to study myself in the mirror above the dresser in the bedroom. My long, dark indigo hair travelled to my hips and my bangs rested right below my eyebrows. I had my mother's hair color as well as her heart-shaped face.

My eyes were pale. A silverish-white color and the shape was the same as my father's. Almond shaped. My younger sister, Hanabi, also had his eye shape too and she was lucky enough to obtain his brown hair.

I had light skin too, like my mother. I reminded myself so painfully of her that sometimes I hated to look at myself. I often avoid the mirrors and dread looking into them because I didn't see me. I saw my mother.

Not too long after I finished preparing myself I heard a knock at the door. I hurried over to it and opened it to find Sakura, Ino, and Naruto on the other side. My heart skipped a few beats when I saw Naruto and his beautiful smile. Every time I see him, I forget how attractive he is.

"C-Come in…" I said.

The three of them slowly walked inside and took in their surroundings. I guess they were fascinated by it… or didn't expect it to look like this. Sakura and Naruto breathed it all in, but Ino wanted to get down to an even more "important" matter.

"Where's your friend, Hinata?" she asked.

"He should be down soon. He's upstairs."

"I can't wait to meet him," Ino cooed.

"Neither can I," Naruto said sarcastically and sat down on one of the couches.

Moments later, Sasuke descended from the staircase with one of his charming smiles. It immediately caught Sakura's and Ino's attention. Even I have to say he was unusually sexy coming down the stairs, but not enough for me to blush uncontrollably and noticeably like Sakura and Ino were.

When he got to the bottom and approached them, they were checking him out. Right now, I bet they wanted to be able to see through his clothes.

He took their hands and charmingly brushed his lips against them. He smiled once more and said "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura was speechless but Ino was all talk. It's unbelievable how easily she can bounce back from being stunned by an unexpected and rare beauty.

"It's an honor to meet you, Sasuke," she purred. "I'm Ino Yamanaka."

Sakura did her best to introduce herself. "S-S-Sakura… Haru-Haruno…" I could barely hear her. I felt so bad for her that I wanted to step in, but I fought the urge.

Sasuke then walked to Naruto. Naruto stood up with a frown meet him and they shook hands. Naruto made a face as he shook Sasuke's hand and stared him questioningly.

"You must be Naruto Uzumaki," Sasuke said.

"Yeah…" Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "Your hand is cold…"

Sasuke took his hand back and smirked evilly. "Poor circulation."

"I'll warm you up, Sasuke," Ino purred from beside Sakura.

"_Disgusting…" _I thought.

"Ino," Sakura scolded. "Don't make him uncomfortable."

Ino merely rolled her eyes. Later, she'll surely do it again. She'll sit quietly for a little while, thinking about all of the dirty things she wants to do to him, and then when the time comes, she'll say something that's even dirtier than what she thought up in her mind.

We all gathered on the sofas in the living area and listened to Sasuke's stories. I could tell that they were all made up but everyone else couldn't. Sakura and Ino sat there, leaning forward in their seats, completely intrigued by his tall tales, and took in every detail with "ooh's" and "ahh's".

Naruto, however, wasn't interested at all. His hand rested on his chin as he rested on the arm of the sofa. He looked bored and I kind of felt bad. Sasuke wouldn't let me sit near him, so I ended up next to Sasuke on the loveseat. Conversing with him while Sasuke was talking was kind of rude and I didn't want the vampire making a big scene just to keep me and Naruto apart. I felt like I was at a dead end.

I looked at Naruto from time to time and he eventually caught notice. He smiled at me. Teeth showing. I blushed and looked down at my lap. Sasuke paused briefly in his story and glanced at me and then at Naruto. After that, he quickly wrapped up the tale. He moved a little closer to me on the loveseat.

"You're so interesting, Sasuke," Ino breathed.

"Thanks." He smiled, turning to me. "How'd you like my adventure, Hinata?"

"Fascinating," I mumbled. I stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Is anyone hungry?"

"Me." My blonde crush shot up from the chair. "I'll help you prepare whatever you're going to make."

"O-Okay…"

We rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. Without seeing or hearing Sasuke, I was hoping that he wasn't going to attempt to eat Sakura or Ino in spite for the attention I gave Naruto instead of him. I also hoped that he wasn't going to eavesdrop on me and Naruto, but I preferred that more than the eating thing. I shuddered just thinking about walking back into the lobby on a floor drenched in my best friends' blood.

I opened up the refrigerator and the cabinets and pulled out the first things I saw. The refrigerator was stocked so there were many things to choose from. My guess was that Sasuke went shopping last night or before I woke up. I was grateful for his faux enthusiasm in my friends coming over by buying food, and I found myself feeling a little guilty for not showing interest in his story even though it was a lie.

I sat the items on the counter and Naruto walked up beside me. "What are we making?" he asked.

"I have no idea."

He chuckled. My heart fluttered from hearing the sweet sound.

"Well, let's actually _look_ at what we're pulling out, shall we?" He picked up a couple of the items. I blushed again. He actually noticed that I wasn't paying attention. "Let's make Quiche Lorraine."

"Make what?"

"Quiche Lorraine," he repeated, clearly amused. "It's French. We have the ingredients here and it's easy to make. I'll show you how."

I nodded. "You can cook? A lot of girls like men who can cook."

He raised an eyebrow and his mouth curled into an amused smile as his hands prepared the items for the Quiche Lorraine. "Do _you_ like men who can cook?"

Should I answer that question? My body felt light and I was uncertain about what Naruto was implying, yet I was still hesitant to respond. "Y-Yes… I like men who can cook."

Naruto showed me his teeth. "Good."

Naruto helped me prepare the snack. He stood near me as he showed me the correct way how to chop the onions, what to do with the parsley, and how thin to slice the cheese. I caught whiff of his scent. He smelled like Chanel Allure and I almost melted right there. How did I not notice this before? I was intoxicated by his scent and it was hard for me to pay attention to what Naruto was telling me what to do.

My crush took over the Quiche Lorraine and loaded the ingredients into the pie pan. To me, it looked like pie. To make things simple by description, I preferred calling it French Pie instead of that difficult name and all of the things that were loaded into it.

"How long will it take?" I asked.

"A little over an hour."

"Hmm…" I responded. I couldn't stop myself from breathing more of his cologne in. He took care to not put too little and not too much which I loved.

"What do you want to do while we wait?" he asked as he leaned against the counter, arms crossed.

"Not sure…" I hesitated. It just now hit me that I was actually alone with Naruto. The boy that I loved. "We could always talk?"

"Uh… Sure." He stroked his chin in thought. "You're a nice girl. What's your family like?"

I wasn't expecting that to be the first question.

I looked away and whispered "My family's gone."

The usual happiness and joyfulness that resided in him faltered. He opened his mouth to say more but I cut him off because I knew he was going to say something like "I'm sorry." They all do.

"They've been gone for about seven years now. It was a car crash. My father, mother, younger sister, cousin, and I were on our way back to Konohagakure from Iwagakure when a drunk driver hit us… We never saw it coming."

Naruto's family was gone too. They weren't gone for as long as mine but he still understood the loneliness that I felt. Out of everyone I knew, Naruto was the only one that truly understood. There was a heavy silence and the next thing I was expecting Naruto to say was "I'm sorry. My family is gone too." But he didn't.

"We're the same," he told me. "We're both alone in this world. On our own. There's no one around to pick us up when we fall, no one to hold our hands, and no one to look forward to come home to." He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "I think about that every day… Do you?"

He peered down at me and I realized how close we were standing next to each other. Our arms were brushing against one another. This was the closest I'd ever been to him in all of the years I'd known him. I felt the warmth of his skin through the soft fabric of his cotton shirt and gazed adoringly at his ocean blue eyes. It appeared to me that he was giving me the same gaze as he took in my features… My mother's features.

I looked downward, consumed by my timid nature.

"Wait," he said, cupping my chin and turning my head so that I was looking at him again. My pale orbs went straight to his eyes. I was astonished at how intensely he gazed at me. No one _ever_ stared at me like that and I felt the usual burning sensation creeping up on my face as I watched Naruto lean in to meet my longing lips.

"_This is it."_ I thought.

Only it wasn't. We both abruptly stopped in our tracks at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Sasuke was standing in the archway that led to the kitchen. He wasn't happy.

"I wondered what happened to you two." Sasuke had a hint of annoyance in his voice as he took a few steps into the kitchen. He glanced at me briefly and then gave all of his attention to Naruto. "Hinata's a shy girl. Why don't you take a few steps back and give her some space before she faints?"

Naruto released me and I suddenly felt awkward between the tension that the two boys shared.

"Sasuke," I said. "I'm fine. You don't have to check on me."

A sinister glint rested in his eyes. I knew that he'd do something later that I wouldn't agree to. "Your friends are beginning to annoy me. There's only so much I can tolerate, Hinata." When my name was said, I felt as if his annoyance was directed at me and Naruto. Not at Sakura and Ino.

"We'll be there soon." I was scared. I didn't know what he'd do to me later.

He left the room and before he rounded the corner, he glared at Naruto. Naruto returned the evil look.

"I'm sorry. I know he can be a little weird but-"

"He's dangerous, Hinata. You shouldn't stay here." Naruto was staring dead at me again.

"I know… but he's… he's lonely."

"I don't care! We're lonely too and we get by just fine." He wrapped his hands around my arms and faced me. This time I wasn't looking away. I looked at him without hesitation.

"What… What are you trying to say, Naruto?"

"If you're lonely. If you ever feel lonely, come find _me_. Not Sasuke. I'll take care of you ten times better than he ever could."

He told the truth. He was serious about that. The determination never wavered in his eyes when he confidently told me each word. The only problem is, Sasuke claims to be in love with me and he'll rip Naruto's head off if he ever found out that I went to his place instead.

"I can't," I said. "If you think Sasuke's so dangerous, then I can't risk your life by going with you over him."

"I don't care! As long as you're safe then I'm okay." When he spoke to me, it felt like a dream. No way was Naruto Uzumaki telling me these things. And just when I was starting to really believe that this was a mere dream he stared at me with more adoration. "The truth is, Hinata, I actually…"

The timer for the snack went off and totally killed the mood. Has it really been over an hour?

Naruto let me go and tended to the oven awkwardly with pink blush claiming his face. The Quiche Lorraine finished. Its heavenly scent wafted all over the kitchen.

"We did a pretty good job," I said taking in its creamy color and golden crust.

"Yeah…" he mumbled, sitting it on the counter. "Let's get the others and eat."

They enjoyed the meal and Sasuke ate as well. I tried to hide how surprised I was to see a vampire eat human food. Can he taste it? Does it fill him? Does he enjoy it? Whatever the answers were to what I wanted to know, I couldn't obtain them just by watching him.

It was getting dark and Sasuke told everyone to go home. Sakura and Ino were oblivious to the tension between Naruto and Sasuke as Sasuke let them out. The boys' eyes locked until Naruto was outside and it seemed like they were going to fight at any given moment. My heart felt heavy just watching them, but it lifted when Naruto finally turned away and Sasuke closed the door.

Sasuke was angry. He was still angry and I saw it when he looked at me. I didn't care that he was mad that Naruto and I almost kissed, I was afraid of him hurting me. If he bit me here and now, he'd probably let me die slowly while watching and wearing his infamous smile.

I met his face briefly and immediately turned to go upstairs. When I turned, the vampire blocked my path. I really didn't want to talk about what happened earlier. It wasn't his business no matter what angle you looked at it. But for some reason, I felt a little guilty for almost kissing Naruto. I already know Sasuke loves me but I don't feel the same way and I won't. Ever.

"Hinata…" he whispered. "You belong to me."

"No I don't." I crossed my arms, trying to appear tough and unafraid.

"I tasted you and now you're mine." He took a few steps closer. I refused to move back even though I had the urge to. "I bit you and let you live. You're existence is living proof of my property."

"Property? You're kidding, right? I am my own person. Get over yourself."

I made my way to pass him but he grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of him. Our faces were a few centimeters apart. At this point, I was too afraid to hide my true emotion and Sasuke smirked at my fear of him.

"You don't know how to love," I said. His smile turned into a frown. "It's been so long. This isn't love. This is a test. A test of dominance. You don't have eyes for me and never will. You only see Kana."

Was he enraged? Was he going to become tired of me? Was he going to kill me off and act like nothing happened? Sasuke was hard to read. Too hard for my perceptive eyes and what he did next took me by surprise and totally threw me off.

He kissed me. A deep, passionate kiss. Sasuke pulled me into a tight embrace and grabbed a hold of my hair. He tilted my head back slightly and kissed me for the second time, but this felt different from the first time. This one was bloodthirsty. His lips smashed against mine and furiously took over me. His normally cold skin felt hot against my warm body and it left me wanting more and more out of his hold. It made me want more of this aggressive behavior that would have normally frightened me. In his dominating kiss, it was startling to find myself participating. I wanted more from him and suddenly kissing wasn't enough for me. I could tell that he wanted more too. His hands travelled all over my body and everywhere they touched, burned. The burn felt good and my hands grabbed Sasuke's raven-like hair. I pulled on it and moaned under his mouth.

Sasuke's hands originated from the base of my back and the back of my head where his fingers fondled with my long hair. From there, the hand on the base of my back slid up and down and then took a turn for my hips. With the hand in my hair, he tugged and I let out a muffled whimper from under his mouth. He enjoyed that. In fact, I believed that he became a little more excited and decided to add tongue into the kiss that I was already taken aback by.

My breath got heavy from under Sasuke. The kiss took my breath away and his hands weren't really helping. I was a virgin and I never had this kind of excitement. His hand groped my body and it ghosted over places that no man had ever touched before. It startled me at times but after how many times he did it, I got used to it and found myself pressing my body closer and closer to his until they were touching. At that moment, Sasuke pinned me against the wall. The impact made me release a gasp but I was unable to make any more sounds other than moaning because Sasuke went immediately back to my lips.

His experienced touch left me hungry for more. I was dying for more and I ached all over. I tried giving Sasuke hints with desperate moans but he continued attacking my mouth and rubbed his body against mine roughly. It felt like fire between our bodies. A fire that was too big and powerful to put out. A fire that I desired to kindle for a while yet.

I tugged on Sasuke's hair until I heard him make the same sound I did. It excited me too but not as nearly as much as it had aroused Sasuke's excitement. I pulled up Sasuke's shirt. With my nails, I dug into his flesh and slowly drew them across his skin. I didn't dig them in deep enough to draw blood but I did take skin along with me as I got to new patches of hot flesh. I heard him moan from above me and it was the most content sound I ever heard him make. I wanted to hear more.

Breaking the kiss, I brushed my lips against his neck. I ghosted my teeth over the pale skin a few times before I scraped harder against the flawless surface of his flesh. Both of the hands he kept on my hips tightened its hold on me and they forcefully pulled my hips against his pelvis. He slammed me against him a few times as I traced Sasuke's flesh with my teeth. I couldn't help but to moan and gasp from the pleasantly new sensation he gave me. My voice echoed throughout the church and I heard myself. I heard it in my own voice. I heard how desperate I was and I knew Sasuke heard it too. He had to. Sasuke had taken my body so far over the edge that it had to be obvious to him.

It was.

Sasuke broke the hold we had on each other and stepped back. We were both breathing hard. Our bodies shaking with anticipation and unsatisfied hunger. Our eyes glazed with lust and longing. Sasuke saw it when he looked into my eyes. He saw how much I wanted him to take me upstairs right now and do whatever he wanted with me. But he didn't.

"Sasuke?" Desperation coated my voice heavily as I breathed hard.

I saw the lust in his dark orbs. He probably wanted me more than I did him but he refused to touch me. He didn't come near me for the rest of the night and I lay down in bed that night wondering how it escalated to the point where I wanted Sasuke more than Naruto.

The places where Sasuke's hands touched my body had gone cold and still longed for more. My body still longed for more than what we had experienced for the first time with each other. My mind raced. It raced until I fell asleep but even my dreams were all about Sasuke. He never truly left my side.

In the morning, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. I waited for hours. Almost all day but he didn't come back. After what had happened last night, I figured it might have frustrated him more than it had me. I was a virgin. I didn't know the pleasures of sex. Sasuke hadn't had sex in a long time and he displayed his lust in the kiss last night. Our encounter must have been hard on him. In order to avoid any complications, I gathered my things and left before the sun set.

When I got home, I unpacked everything and realized that I forgot about my homework and textbook. There'd be no time to go get it in the morning before school tomorrow. So I chose to go get it right away before I suspected Sasuke to get back to the church.

I walked through the front door and turned on the lights. I retrieved the textbook with my work in it from the desk in the bedroom I stayed in. When I exited the room and descended the staircase, I noticed someone standing in the lobby. I thought it was Sasuke and called out to him.

"Sasuke!" I called. "I wanted to talk to you about last night…"

As I got closer I realized it wasn't Sasuke. Instead, it was Kurenai sensei.

"Hinata?" she said, clearly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Her presence aroused my suspicion. Something was off about her today. She didn't appear to be herself.

"Hinata," she said, "you know who Sasuke is?"

That startled me. Why does she know Sasuke? "Y-Yes…"

She clutched the strap of her purse a little tighter and she took a few paces towards me. I took a few back. "Why don't you come with me?" Kurenai lost all of the usual warmth that her voice carried. Her tone was glazed with a frigid ice.

"No."

Kurenai reached into her purse. She grabbed a hold of something wooden in the leather bag. My heart raced faster. _"Was that a stake?"_ My widened eyes looked up at hers. _"Is she here to kill Sasuke?"_

A snarl echoed through the air. Kurenai looked around and drew the stake from her bag. Her wavy, thick black hair bounced around as she tried to find the source of the noise. She never got the chance to locate the source of the snarl though.

Sasuke dropped down from nowhere and pounced on Kurenai sensei. I screamed and fell backward in horror as I watched Sasuke easily overpower her. She put up as much of a fight as she could before Sasuke tore his fangs into her neck. She screamed and flailed on the floor with the predator on top of her. Her body struggled and thrashed about for a while before it stopped and it lay there completely still.

Sasuke ascended from her corpse and faced me. Blood was covering his face and it dripped down onto his clothes and the floor. I was frozen. Even if I wanted to run away to the safe haven of my apartment, my feet didn't have the power to take me there.

The vampire began to walk towards me. He reached out to me with a bloody hand drenched in my teacher's blood. When he reached out to touch me, my body flinched and I backed away.

"Don't touch me!" I cried.

He said nothing.

"Why did you do it?" I asked. I was hoping he wasn't going to say "Because I was hungry."

Instead he said "She knew about me. I couldn't let her live."

"No… She couldn't have! She could never-"

"You don't know what she could do!" he shouted. "She came here to kill me and then take you out too! That's her job! She's a _slayer_!"

I looked at Sasuke and then at Kurenai's body. There was a puddle of blood around her and more blood was seeping out of the wound Sasuke created. I was suddenly nauseous at the sight and soon began to smell the blood. I covered my mouth and braced myself for vomit… but it never came. Instead, I found myself crying. Whether it was from the death of a familiar person or from betrayal, I couldn't stop. I wept heavily and it ceased to end as I finally allowed Sasuke to embrace me. The blood Sasuke carried on his hands seeped through my clothes and onto my skin. The very touch made me sicker than I already was. Was I really willing to keep this a secret from the world and drench my hands in the same blood that Sasuke dipped his hands into?


	3. A Deadly New Beginning

When the news of the death of Kurenai sensei came to Konoha High, everyone went into mourning. A heavy, gloomy air filled the classroom each time we walked into it and it was unshakeable, unwavering. Every day, when I entered the room, I expected to see Kurenai sensei sitting at her desk smiling at me, but sorrow and disappointment filled me each and every time I saw someone other than her sitting there in her place.

After I saw her die, I had nightmares for nights on end. The same scene I saw that evening repeated over and over again; her neck being torn open by Sasuke's vicious fangs, the blood spilling out from her neck, and her lifeless body falling to the floor drenched in her own blood. Sometimes the nightmare would change. When her body hit the floor, I'd peer into her lifeless eyes and she'd say "Why didn't you help me?" On nights like that, I'd wake up soaked in cold sweat.

Also after her death, I hadn't been to the church since. Sasuke didn't bother to beckon me or try to find me, so he must understand my situation. I can't enter the place where I watched someone I knew die even if she did come there to kill Sasuke. I can't bring myself to go. Not for a while at least. The last time I saw someone die was seven years ago and at times it still feels like it was recent.

Two months passed and I still thought about Kurenai sensei, but the nightmares finally stopped. However, even though the dreams ended, I still couldn't bring myself to go see Sasuke. I feared to smell death as soon as I walked through the front door and I feared having flashes of my teacher dying in front of me again.

On a brighter note, I no longer felt melancholy when I entered Kurenai's classroom. We did, however, obtain a new teacher. His name was Iruka Umino. Age twenty-six and fresh out of college. He was pretty naïve and the boys picked on him and fooled him quite a bit. I would have thought that this was funny if it weren't for my overpowering compassion. I felt bad for him. Iruka sensei tried hard to gain our approval but the boys didn't make it any easier for him.

A week after Iruka sensei came we were due to get a new student. Iruka sensei was excited to introduce the new kid. My guess was, it was his first time ever introducing someone… or because the new kid won't throw paper balls at him.

"Settle down everyone," Iruka attempted. It didn't work but when he said "new student" everyone shut up and paid attention so he continued. "We're getting a new classmate today. He should be here any minute now actually."

"Iruka sensei said 'he'," Ino whispered excitedly to Sakura and me. "I hope he's cute. These faces are starting to get boring around here."

Sakura and I didn't get time to roll our eyes because just then, the kid walked into the room. All of the girls shrieked at his attractive features, which made the boys groan at more of their competition. Naruto was hard enough competition for the boys here. But with the new kid waltzing in here like he owned the school wearing a naturally attractive face it kind of made things harder for some of the male population to keep their girlfriends.

A fair skinned boy who looked about seventeen with blonde hair and grayish blue eyes walked in and stood beside Iruka sensei. He looked nothing special to me but everyone else took him in like he was some kind of god that descended directly from the heavens.

His blonde hair, which its color was very similar to Naruto's, was drawn up into a ponytail with the rest hanging down freely. A part of the hair that hung freely covered his left eye. It was also long for a boy. It travelled down his back and ended a little past his shoulder blades. The color of his hair intensified the color of his eyes and whenever I caught myself staring, I mysteriously got drawn in.

From the front of the room, I caught Naruto looking at me. When I gave my attention to Naruto, he turned away.

"_I wasn't checking the new kid out, if that's what he's thinking,"_ I thought.

"This is Deidara," Iruka said. "He moved all of the way from Iwagakure to join us so please treat him kindly."

"It's nice to meet you all," he greeted.

The girls sighed from his smooth voice. I couldn't help but to suck my teeth and put my attention elsewhere. I took my gaze to the window and let my eyes wander. To no surprise, they found the church. The condition appeared fine. The same as it was two months ago. Hopefully the inside was in the same healthy condition.

"Before the next class starts, Deidara, why don't you pick someone to show you around?" Iruka asked. "Everyone here is helpful and will do their best to make you feel comfortable."

I was pulled out of my train of thought when the girls began to scream in excitement and hands shot up. Some even stood up and some climbed onto their desks. I couldn't help but find this all so pitiful and what's worse is that Ino was among them. Ino was standing on her desk, waving both of her hands in the air.

"How… about…" He looked all around the room and his eyes found me. When our eyes locked for the first time, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. I felt as though I knew him from somewhere. "Her," he said with smugness in the tone of his voice. "She's the only one not making a scene or looking at me like they want to kill me unlike everyone else in here."

I inhaled and exhaled deeply. _"Why couldn't he choose someone else?"_ I stood up from my desk and exited the room with Deidara following close behind.

Along the tour, I pointed out things that were important like the library, the boys' bathroom, the cafeteria, and a few of our upcoming classes. I noticed that Deidara didn't seem interested in what I was showing him. He seemed more interested in me and not in the "she's so hot" kind of way. I caught him studying me during the tour a few times and he only answered me with "Uh-huh's".

When the tour was almost over, I turned to Deidara and asked if there was any questions, concerns, or complaints. He gave some thought into what he was going to say and then he gave me a smile similar to Sasuke's. The resemblance was startling and I found myself missing Sasuke to my surprise.

"I have a question." It was the first time he spoke during the tour other than the "Uh-huh's." He took a few steps towards me and asked "Why do you look so much like Kana?"

My eyes widened and my heart jumped. If Deidara knew about Kana then he could only be a vampire, right? And judging by the way he eyed me, I had no doubt that he wasn't a friendly one.

"Kana? Who's that?" I tried to sound oblivious to the name but there was no hiding it from a vampire. He could see some of the sweat beading down my forehead and I bet he could hear my nervous heart pick up pace. I was the worst liar in the world.

"Don't play dumb," he snapped. Do all vampires have short tempers? If not, then I surely haven't met any.

Deidara was quick to anger. Really quick I realized. Just from not answering him right away, he grabbed me by the arm and jerked me towards him. He tightened the grip on my arm until I cried out. What is wrong with this guy?

"Let go," I pleaded.

"Not until you tell me what you know about Kana."

Just when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse, he gripped me harder. There was nothing I knew about her other than the fact that Sasuke and Kana were in love and his brother murdered her. If I told Deidara that, there was no telling what he'd do but if I didn't then he'd probably kill me here in the middle of the hallway. What was I to do?

I looked back up at his cold eyes. "I'll tell you," I breathed. "But not here. Somewhere more private."

He gave me a smile more twisted than Sasuke's and I flinched at the sight. His fangs peeked out at me and seemed like they wanted to dive right into my exposed neck. "Good. Let's go, _Hinata_."

I felt terrible about putting Sasuke at risk but he could take care of himself. He's killed before. But then again, humans were nothing compared to vampires and I think Deidara is older than Sasuke. I got him in another situation that he might have to drag himself out of.

Deidara dragged me into a nearby janitor's closet and tossed me on a box full of fragile light bulbs. I rubbed my injured arm and stared at him in fear. He smiled and leaned against the door. He was amused. He liked to see me in pain and it only satisfied him more to know that he was the one to injure and corner me. I had no power and Deidara liked that.

The janitor's closet was a very tight space. It couldn't have been more than six feet long and four feet wide. And the walls overwhelmed with shelves full of boxes, cleaning supplies, and documents didn't really help with the claustrophobic area.

I sat on the box directly across from Deidara. We were probably only two feet apart. The only thing that separated us was a light hanging from the low ceiling that waved back and forth between us. I felt trapped and scared in this room as my predator laughed to himself and took in my current situation.

"Talk," he said, getting comfortable against the door.

I breathed, bit my bottom lip, and averted my eyes to the concrete floor beneath us. "I don't know much," I started. I quickly glanced at Deidara to see if his facial expression had changed. It didn't. It was still hard and expressionless. Somehow that relieved me a little. I stared back at the floor and I proceeded to tell him what I knew in one quick breath. "Someone I know had met Kana years ago. I don't know how many but during that time they fell in love. Kana turned him into a vampire and sometime later she was murdered by my friend's brother." I looked back at Deidara and saw him shift. Anger also lingered in his eyes and I quickly added "My friend avenged her death, though," to settle him. I didn't want him seeking out Sasuke to get answers about his already dead brother.

There was an uncomfortable silence between us but it didn't last long. The predator soon said "You're a lot like her." My head shot up from the ground. "You look at the ground when you're scared and nervous like she used to…" His eyes lit up from remembering Kana. I wanted to know more about her. Kana was a mystery. And if her name alone could make a power-hungry monster like Deidara become sentimental, even if for a little while, then she must've been some kind of saint.

"What's your relation to her?" I asked.

He hadn't expected me to ask about her. He probably expected me to beg to be released so I could go back to the comforts of my human classmates and teacher.

"Heh. I remember it like yesterday." He looked up at the ceiling and then down at me. "I was 150 when I first saw her and it was love at first sight, for me anyway. Kana never took notice to me. Every time I looked at her, my heart skipped beats and I got butterflies at the pit of my stomach. I had to talk to her so she'd at least acknowledge my existence. The more that I got to know her, the more I fell in love. I can still see her smile, hear her laugh, hear her voice…" The serene glow he carried when he talked about Kana dimmed when the story took to a surprisingly grim turn. His eyes locked on mine. He wanted me to drink in every word he fed me. "… Until it got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to have her. I wanted her to be mine, to belong to me and only me. I thought that confessing my love to her would have taken our relationship to a new level but she rejected me… I never felt so enraged in my life and decided to do something about it." I was afraid to ask. Something sinister sprouted in Deidara and I feared speaking would only make it grow. To my luck, he continued without me saying a thing. "I kidnapped Kana and tortured her. I whipped her, burned her, drowned her, and starved her. My kidnapping was about revenge, sweet revenge but she never showed any weak spots. She was a strong lady. I had to think of another way to break her."

Deidara abandoned the door and made his way over to me. He grabbed onto my shoulders so hard that I yelped. Our faces were just a short five centimeters apart and I saw how sinister he truly appeared from here. I felt my body tremble uncontrollably from the massive fear consuming me in his hold.

"I raped her," he said. He said it slowly as if he wanted me to know what he was capable of. "I raped her over and over and over again." He went back to the door and leaned against it when he saw my eyes widen. He continued to tell me more. "After nine days, Kana grew weak. So weak that she could barely cling onto life. And even after how angry I was with her, after the awful things I did to her, I had to let her live. I knew she had to hate me by then but I didn't care." He took a deep breath. "I turned her into a vampire."

As if my body was on autopilot, I frowned and I felt my eyebrows furrow.

"She ran away from me and I never saw her again." He scoffed and crossed his arms. "500 years later I find out that she was teaching some human kid about poetry and the essence of life. He followed her around like a lovesick puppy dog and the very sight made me sick and it filled me with envy. Kana was no longer mine. She was _his_." That had to be Sasuke. "A few days later, I heard she was murdered by my natural enemy, a _slayer_. I got no more news after that. I couldn't even find that kid she adored so much…" He looked at me. "But you filled in the patches. Thanks." The "thanks" was purposely said to make me feel uncomfortable. What was he going to do with me now?

Deidara rubbed his chin in thought. "I have to admit. When I saw you, I was kind of shocked. I didn't expect to see a descendant of Kana here…" He paused for a moment. "I just need one more thing from you, _Hinata_." I hated it when he said my name. He said it as if I was lying about my identity. "You had to have met that kid who followed Kana around since you know about her. What's his name?"

"I won't tell you." I was surprised at how cold my voice sounded.

In an instant, Deidara grabbed my face. His piercing blue eyes threatened to kill me then and there. Why am I protecting a boy I knew for only two months?

The predator picked me up and slammed me against the shelves behind me. They shook violently and for a moment, I feared that they would topple over onto us, but the shelves were the least of my worries. This monster wants to kill me.

With one hand holding me up by the collar of my shirt and the other threatening to choke the life out of me, Deidara leaned in close to my face and said "Tell me what his name is. If you don't, I'll do the same things to you like I did to Kana."

Don't get me wrong, I cared about Sasuke's life but I definitely didn't want to undergo the same things Kana had to. At the end of the torture, Deidara might not even be kind enough to turn me… then again, I'd rather die human tortured or not.

"If… If I tell you, are you going to hurt him?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. It depends."

By no means was that a good enough answer, but I had to tell him what he wanted to know anyway. "Sasuke… His name is Sasuke Uchiha." I choked on my words. I felt as though I betrayed him.

"After school, I want you to take me to him."

"More? You want more from me? I'm not as servile as you think." Yet, my voice shook with fear.

He squeezed my neck and let his fingernails sink into my flesh. We made eye contact. _"You _will _take me to Sasuke."_

His voice sounded beautiful. Convincing and hard to refuse. Servile, like I claimed I wasn't, I repeated, _"I will take you to Sasuke."_

He smiled. "I thought you'd never offer. Our discussion is over. I'll see you after school."

Deidara dropped me and left me gasping for air. I hadn't realized that I wasn't breathing as much as I thought I was until now.

Deidara smiled at me before he exited. "Oh, and if you contact Sasuke and tell him that I'm coming, I'll kill him and make you watch. Then I'll kill you."

When that frightening encounter with Deidara occurred, it was the beginning of the school day. With each class passing and the hours ticking agonizingly slow, I found myself growing unbearably restless. Deidara enjoyed it. He especially enjoyed it when I didn't show up for lunch. I lost my appetite. I was disgusted with myself for ratting out Sasuke and seeing that heartless bastard smile at me all day. He was amused. He liked seeing me miserable and powerless. It pissed me off.

What pissed me off more than anything, though, was that he took the pleasure of flirting with my friends and completely took their attention from me for the entire school day. I was alone. It was a familiar feeling but something I could never be okay with.

Naruto noticed my loneliness but never had the time to approach me. The fact that he felt sympathy for me, cheered me up a little. During class, he'd look at me a few times and give me the smile that I loved. I caught myself smiling back and timidly finding the floor to avoid meeting his eyes.

When the clock struck three, all of the happiness I felt from Naruto's attention immediately faded. The time came for me to betray Sasuke. If Deidara didn't kill me, Sasuke surely will if he lives.

As I made my way out of the building, Deidara casually caught up with me. We didn't speak at all though and that only made me even more uncomfortable. I won't be able to forgive myself for bringing an enemy to my… friend? I guess Sasuke is a friend. I'm not sure what he is to me. I have no special feelings toward him even though we made out and were on the verge of having sex. My feelings for him are not mutual and it makes me feel bad but I can't help the way I feel.

We got to the church in about ten minutes. I took deep breath before we ascended the stone steps. I used the key that Sasuke gave me after Kurenai died and opened the door. I quickly scanned the lobby. No Sasuke. Going too slow for Deidara, he shoved me through the door. He stepped in moments later and looked around.

"I don't think he's here," I said.

"No," he said closing the door behind him. "He's here."

In a flash, my vampire friend stepped in front of me, shielding me from Deidara. He must have sensed the danger long before we got here. He was angry and looked like he was about to pounce on the stranger.

"I just want to talk, little boy," Deidara said but he didn't sound like the friendliest person in the world.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snarled.

Deidara merely smirked. He then looked at me but continued to talk to Sasuke. "Hinata is really stubborn. I wanted information out of her but she forced me to practically choke it out of her. You're a really patient kid if you can deal with her."

"You hurt her?" he growled and then took a step toward Deidara. I quickly grabbed his arm and held tight. Deidara is old. Really old. Much older than Sasuke and he could easily kill Sasuke.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight. I just wanted to see what you looked like. I'll be taking my leave now." He gave me a twisted smile. "See you tomorrow, Hinata." He left and even after he left, the tension still hung heavily in the air.

"Hinata," Sasuke breathed. He kissed me a few times. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. A little shaken but I'm fine."

"I'm glad. Who was that?"

I ignored the question by staring at the floor. "I'm… I'm so sorry. I brought danger here and… and I haven't been around. You have to be upset with me, right?" I didn't want Sasuke to seek Deidara out and put himself more at risk for death.

"Never." He stroked my hair affectionately. "I could never be upset with you. I love you."

That made my heart hurt. I hated being in this position. Sasuke stared at me so affectionately and I couldn't return the gaze. He knew this but continued to do it. He couldn't help it.

I felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Sasuke, I have to go home."

"Will you come back tomorrow?" A familiar twinkle of happiness sparked in his eyes kind of like the same happiness Naruto always carried.

"Y-Yeah. I'll… I'll see you tomorrow." I couldn't refuse. He was so happy to see me because he missed me, and honestly I missed him, too.

When I headed home the first thing that I did was take a shower, a long shower. I carried guilt and hoped the water would wash it all down the drain. To my disappointment, it didn't. I still felt just as guilty about not seeing Sasuke in months and then putting him in danger when I came to see him as I did before I stepped into the shower.

I tried to get my mind off of Deidara, Kana, and Sasuke. They were all linked through history and I knew hardly anything. I only knew Deidara's past and I could really care less about what happened between him and Kana. My unquenched curiosity directed towards Sasuke's story. They were in love, deep love and Kana turned him. Recalling that Kana turned Sasuke into a vampire sparked a bit of jealousy in me. If Kana turned Sasuke into a vampire, that means they had sex. She probably took his virginity given that he must have been a teenager at the time.

Sitting here wasn't going to give me answers. Sasuke had to fill in the holes. I'm already involved in this Kana drama without ever wanting to be in it in the first place so I might as well receive the answers I deserve from him.

When I got deeper into thought, a knock at the door scared me out of it. I quickly went to the door to see who it was and when I opened it, my heart stopped dead in its tracks. It was Naruto Uzumaki.

He appeared to be nervous but I wasn't certain. I never saw him in a nervous state. He was always exuding with confidence.

If I'd known he was stopping by, I'd have worn different pajamas. I only wore a T-shirt and shorts made out of cotton. I never wore shorts and when Naruto saw that I was for the first time I saw a line of blush claim his face.

"H-Hey, Hinata," he greeted. He nervously scratched his head. "Can I come in?"

I was so surprised by his visit. It took a while before I snapped back to reality and finally answered him. "Yes. C-Come in."

I gestured him to enter. He walked in with me shutting the door behind him.

"I know my apartment isn't much but please make yourself at home." My voice trembled.

It was small but comfortable enough for me. I got used to its size over time. My only problem was what other people thought of it. I know that I shouldn't assume Naruto would be disgusted by its appearance because he probably lived in an apartment similar to mine but I couldn't help it. I liked him so much and as a result, I wanted everything to be perfect for him.

He sat down on the only couch I owned and sat on the middle cushion. Now I had to sit next to him. A difficult task for me. I loved the way he smelled and it simply couldn't go unnoticed. I also loved how warm his body was. It was comforting somehow and I could picture myself cuddling with him as I enjoyed his warmth.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked. "Water, tea, soda?"

He nonchalantly shrugged and patted the cushion next to him. "You can just give me your undivided attention." He smiled. I knew he was nervous but he played it off so well that I started to believe that he wasn't.

I sat beside him. We were so close for the second time. I immediately breathed in the Chanel Allure and was sent to heaven. This was torture. If I'd been familiar enough with Naruto, I might have jumped on him right then and there but we were technically, and unfortunately, strangers. We had nothing in common and knew nothing about each other other than the fact that we both had no family, but that was enough for me to feel romantically drawn to him.

"It's rare to see you look so lonely," Naruto said. "Your friends weren't really talking to you today, were they?"

"Yeah. They were too wrapped up in the new kid." Just thinking about Deidara infuriated me. Unfortunately, the anger was worn on my sleeve and Naruto noticed.

"Did he do something to you?" He faced me and I felt his arm slide along the back of the couch behind me.

"It's already been taken care of." My voice trailed off because of the lie that I told.

I was only able to look away for a moment, to avoid his eyes, when I found myself looking back at him when he said "I'll protect you so don't worry about him. If he messes with you, I'll fight for you."

Sasuke and now Naruto. I'm putting too many people in danger. "No. I don't want you to do anything. That guy isn't worth your time."

"He is if he's putting you in danger," he retorted. The hand he kept on his lap slid over to mine. He squeezed my hand. "I'd do anything for you, Hinata."

My heart stopped. My eyes widened and my breath slowed. Surely this was a dream, right? Everything about this seemed too fictional. Naruto wouldn't say things like that to me. I wasn't pretty enough. I wasn't smart enough. I wasn't popular enough. Why waste his breath on me when he could easily find a girl with all of those qualities? I was just… Hinata.

He inched closer to my face and the arm that rested on the back of the couch wrapped around my shoulders. "Hinata, you don't know how strong my feelings are for you."

Despite all of my fears of Naruto rejecting me and me fearing that I wasn't worthy enough to be with him, I found myself becoming even more enticed by his very being. I loved him. I loved who he was and he was sitting right in front of me feeling the same way. Why was I worrying when everything I desired, everything I wanted, could be mine? He could belong to me. Only me.

I gently slid my hands along Naruto's soft skin and rested my hands in his silky, blonde hair. I pulled my body closer to his and brushed my lips against his. His eyes widened. He hadn't expected me to take initiative. Honestly, I hadn't either but I went with it anyway, not completely sure what I was doing and how to make him feel good.

He joined me. He released my hand and rested his on my hip. That very action sent electricity flowing through me. Naruto touched me gently and carefully as if I'd break. If he handled me the way he really wanted to, he appeared to believe that I'd shatter like glass. But even though I did enjoy the touch, he was holding back and I didn't like it. I didn't want to be treated like a fragile little girl. I wanted him to be more aggressive and with how slow we were going, I could tell that wasn't going to happen. I had to make it happen.

I broke the kiss and my teeth found his ear. I nibbled on his left ear for a short while as I sat on him. If me kissing him first took him by surprise, then he couldn't have possibly seen this coming. I was straddling him and kissing down his neck to his collarbone. His Chanel Allure urged me to explore what was down further but I wouldn't allow it. I fought my lust.

Naruto ran his hands through my hair, down my back, felt my curves, and then rested on my rear. One stayed on my butt and the other travelled up my shirt as our lips touched again. By this time, Naruto got the message that I didn't want to be handled like precious cargo and treated me the way that he saw fit.

Our starving lips smashed against each other and our tongues fought with precision. One of us wanted to come out on top as we battled hard with loud moans and heavy breaths. When our bodies rubbed hard against one another, the rough material of Naruto's jeans scrapped against my bare legs and excited Naruto when I let out a loud, heavy moan. My body was already aching with the need to be one with Naruto. I wasn't desperate but my body seemed to think otherwise.

Just as I was contemplating whether I should get off of Naruto, Naruto picked me up and laid me down on the couch. He got on top of me and we continued the kiss. I was clearly in a dangerous spot. We kissed each other roughly. Our lips brushing against the other and our teeth scrapping skin in such a way that made my body shiver and burn with unsettling anticipation. But the kissing wasn't the only dangerous role that played a part in our intimate encounter. Our pelvises were pressed together as Naruto stroked my legs. I hadn't even noticed my legs wrapped around Naruto. A risky thing for me to do but what was even more risky during this was that my crush was beginning to stroke my thighs. I had never been so impatient in my life. I just wanted to take our clothes off and get to it.

It was as if Naruto read my mind. He took my shirt off in between kisses and in return, I rid him of his. Big mistake on my part. I let my hands ghost over his body and stared in awe at his six pack. I gasped at the sight and couldn't stop touching it. Just looking at his body alone could have gotten me in the state that I am in now.

He put his warm hand over mine and I looked at him.

"Do you like it?" he asked. He should already know my answer. His body is the only thing that could take me away from his face.

I bit my lip and nodded.

Before I knew it, his hands were all over my body. "Your body's even more amazing, Hinata."

He appeared to be more impressed by mine than I had his. Why? Because I had bigger boobs and was curvier than Ino? Whatever the reason was, I loved the way he glided his hands over me. It made me hungrier and the little lapse we just had felt too long for me. I wanted to get back to business.

He was prepared when I pulled him in for more. If I didn't do it any sooner, he was sure to do it instead and that could have been dangerous. I wanted Naruto. I _really_ wanted him but he wanted me more. It startled me at first but I felt him through his jeans. He was more desperate than me. He wanted to take more clothes off to fill his need. He wasn't going to do it without my permission though.

I gave him the message he wanted by unbuttoning his pants. Before I even got his pants down, he seized my shorts with a light tug. I helped him get them off by slightly lifting my body. In a little over a second, they were off. My heart raced from letting a man see my underwear for the first time. I wanted to cover myself and call this all off but seeing how fondly Naruto stared into my eyes, I couldn't just stop. I also wanted this.

Naruto helped me slip his jeans off of his waist and down his legs. He tossed them on the floor just like the rest of our clothing.

He kissed my neck multiple times and continued to run his fingers through my hair. He found pleasure in feeling my hair. I, however, loved the feel of his rough skin on my fingertips. He hummed above me as I caressed his back and moaned under him from his crafty kisses.

I let my legs slide up and down Naruto's legs and I purposely rubbed his thighs. I also took care that out pelvises never separated and rubbed together vigorously. Naruto participated in this act and we both found ourselves moaning in one another's ear.

It all felt so good. Naruto's eyes all on me, the kisses, the warm hands all over my body. In midst of this, I had to constantly remind myself that this wasn't a dream. Everything he did to me was done carefully. He ghosted over my abdomen, to my breasts, and then to my bra straps. He slipped them off of my shoulders and journeyed to the back to undo it.

This was finally going to happen. I was going to lose my virginity to Naruto Uzumaki. The boy I loved for years. When Sasuke and I made out, we almost reached this point but he broke away. At that time I felt lust, my body ached with a strong desire for him, and I also felt… guilt?

I didn't feel guilty being with Sasuke. For some odd reason, I felt guilty right now. For… being with Naruto and not Sasuke? Why? Wasn't Naruto the one I wanted? So then, why did I have the sudden urge to stop this?

"Stop…" I breathed as I wiggled my way out of Naruto's hold. My unsettled longing lingered in my voice.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked. He didn't want to get off of me but he did anyway.

"I… I can't do this."

I frantically grabbed my clothes from off of the floor and suddenly became very uncomfortable with Naruto staring me while I was half-naked.

"Did I do something you didn't like?" He got off the couch and approached me.

"N-No." I moved away with my clothes bundled in my arms. "That's not it at all."

"Then what is it?"

"I… I don't know. It just doesn't feel right." It was the truth. This wasn't right.

"Hinata?"

"Please. Just leave. I am so sorry."

If I took another whiff of his cologne, I'd be in trouble. There'd be no telling what would happen between us if I let him get any closer. I think Naruto knew that. He _really_ wanted to be with me. He wanted to get back on that couch and finish what we started. I felt bad for leaving his body hungry but I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't bring myself to return to Naruto.

"Can you at least tell me why?" he asked.

"B-Because this… It feels like I'm betraying someone."

His eyes widened. He hadn't expected that response. I bet he was thinking that I was too afraid to press on to the final step, but when I delivered my dilemma, he appeared to be shocked and hurt. There was someone else in the picture that rivaled Naruto and by the way things were looking, that rival was winning. It upset Naruto and it saddened me that I had to reject him after how far we've gotten but I couldn't lead Naruto on or ignore my heart when I suspected that I could possibly be falling in love with Sasuke Uchiha.


	4. Are Secrets Worth Keeping?

After the intimate setting that Naruto and I shared before the weekend started I hadn't felt quite like myself. I suspected it to be a form of guilt. I felt as though I betrayed Sasuke by almost having sex with Naruto and couldn't get it out of my mind. That night, I began to think that I was falling in love with Sasuke. I just didn't know how I could have possibly begun to love him. I hadn't spent time with him in over two months and the only things that he did for me in that short time was tell me he loved me, made out with me, and defend me from Deidara. Out of the three things listed there the chivalry part seemed like the best answer.

On a bright Monday morning no teenage girl wanted to think about her complicated love life. I was confused. Is it really possible to be in love with two people? I certainly don't want to be. It's painful for me and for the both of the boys that also love me. Never in my life had I expected to be in such a situation.

Thinking this through while walking to school didn't really make things clearer. When I got to school I would have to see Naruto and when I see him, I'll think back to Friday when we almost had sex. Before, it was hard enough to even look at Naruto, now I doubt I can even stand to be in the same room as him. His voice, smile, and scent will be too much for me to bear. I love too many of Naruto's qualities to just ignore him.

It was easy to pick out what I loved about Naruto but what did I love about Sasuke? His hair, his face, his (admittedly) evil smirk? He was a very possessive person. At times, he could be kind, gentle, and compassionate. But when I first met him he was aggressive, compelling, and stubborn. Qualities that I wasn't too fond of. So what was it that I loved about him? I'm not sure. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke had many sides to him. He was an enigma of wonder.

As I brooded about my situation, an unexpected person ran up beside me. He greeted me with a "hello" in the most unpleasant way possible.

It was Deidara. The man who locked me in the janitor's closet with him and threatened to torture me if I didn't rat out Sasuke's name. During that time, I was afraid of him, now I was utterly annoyed. I _really_ didn't want to deal with him before the school day started.

"Walk with me," he demanded.

"I don't know how you did things back in your time, but in this era, people usually ask nicely when they want someone to do something with them."

He raised his eyebrows. He was slightly impressed. Slightly. "Back talking to your elders, are we? Someone needs to teach you respect."

"I know how to respect people. _You_ don't deserve it."

"Hey." He grabbed my shoulder and jerked me towards him so I was facing him. "You aren't in any position to talk to me like that, human. I can still do the same things to you that I did to Kana."

I flinched. He got a reaction that he wanted and I could see that he grew a little more confident. "Leave me alone. You got the information you wanted so now you don't have to associate with me."

Deidara tightened his hold which made me grimace. "I'll talk to you whenever I want!"

"Hey!" A new voice called. Following the sound, I saw that it was Naruto. An angry Naruto that was storming over to us.

When he reached us, he jerked Deidara's hand off of me with incredible strength. He stood in front of me and eyed the enemy with a glare stronger than the one he gave Sasuke.

They glared at each other for a while before Naruto decided to take my hand and head off towards Konoha High with me following close behind. His grip on my hand was firm and refused to let go until we reached school grounds.

I hadn't expected to see Naruto before school too. I wasn't ready. I was still embarrassed from Friday. He had to be too. Other than being angry, he wasn't looking at my face because he wasn't prepared to see me either, which meant that he was still embarrassed. I don't know why he even bothered to save me. I sent him home with a boner.

"Deidara's still bothering you? Why did you lie to me?" He tried to be calm about it but it really wasn't working.

"I… I didn't want you to get hurt!" I exclaimed. I took a step towards him. "He's dangerous."

"You didn't tell me the truth because you were afraid of me getting hurt?!"

People standing nearby turned to see what was going on.

"Yes!" I surprised him when I raised my voice. "It's _my_ problem. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"Hinata…" he sighed. His anger diffused a little and he stood in front of me. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. My only concern is your safety."

I felt my face getting red. After what happened between us, he still said sweet words to me. He still bothered to speak to me and stand this close to me. If Deidara got his hands on Naruto, then I wouldn't be able to be this close to him again. I wouldn't be able to smell his Chanel Allure again or be able to wrap myself in his warm, strong embrace. I wanted to cry just thinking about losing him. I felt the burning sensation in my eyes and a familiar lump appear in my throat that always crept up on me when I was about to cry.

Naruto's ocean blue orbs widened when he saw me on the verge of tears. "I don't want to put you in danger," I repeated. That seemed to be my only excuse. "I'd rather be harassed by Deidara than have you fight for me."

Naruto caressed my face and then ran his fingers through my hair the same way he did the night at my apartment. "Hinata, I'd die for you." That caught me off guard. My teary eyes found his. He was serious. "You don't know how much I care about you. You have no idea how much I'd do for you. I would do _anything_ for you."

He kissed me on the lips without warning. A warm, pleasant heat raced through my body that had me wanting more kisses from him. It was almost as if the kiss was showing me what I was missing when I stopped us from proceeding Friday night. But even though I liked the kiss had I known he'd do that, I would've detested immediately.

"I'll protect you, Hinata."

That was the last thing he said to me. He didn't want to discuss things any further. We both knew I'd argue with him until I got my way. Normally, I would never argue with anyone, but this case was a special one. I would do anything for Naruto, even things that I despise. He read me well enough. He knows how much I'd do for him and he wants to put me out of harm's way because I just might go as far as doing something stupid for his sake. Naruto and I are very similar in this way. We'd sacrifice ourselves for someone we love.

Deidara didn't bother talking to me in class but every now and then he'd pass me smiles. He was planning something, but what? Why is he still pestering me? I gave him everything he wanted. Does he find it fun to harass me? Is it because I look like Kana that he enjoys doing it? Is this all because of some grudge?

The fact that this might be because of a grudge infuriated me. We look alike. That's all. We aren't the same person. Just assuming that that might be the case made me dislike Deidara more.

After school I went to my locker to retrieve my book bag, a few textbooks, and a notebook. Homework never seemed to cease no matter how far into the year we got. We were three months from summer vacation and my teachers seemed to think that more work would help us to not forget what we learned over break. I say the more work, the more there is to remember and the more that there is to remember, the more likely we'll forget everything.

Closing my locker, I jumped seeing Deidara standing beside me. He leaned against the locker next to mine with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked down at me and this time he wasn't smiling.

"Are you dating Naruto Uzumaki?" he asked.

"None of your business." I slung my bag over my shoulders and turned to walk away.

He appeared in front of me. I took a quick glance around to see if anyone noticed him do that. No one did.

"It _is_ my business," he argued.

"How? I'm not Kana. I'm Hinata. You don't know who I am and I don't know who you are. Let her go and leave me alone."

He shrugged. "Since you look like her, it's an exception."

"Just because you were never loved by Kana doesn't mean you have to pick on me! I can see why she never loved you."

I snapped and it was probably the worst thing I could do to him. He shot me a look I never thought he could make. It looked so sinister. He didn't like what I said at all.

Just then, I saw a red, thin line come out of Deidara's eyes and come towards me. At first, I felt nothing but then moments later, excruciating pain shot throughout my head. I lost my balance and fell to the floor clutching my head. I refused to cry out in front of all of these people, so I grit my teeth. Unfortunately, it still caused a scene, a big scene. The students around us were looking in our direction and some huddled around in concern and others gathered as if a fight was going to break out. If there was a fight, everyone knew who'd win.

"Don't ever say that again, little girl," he warned.

"Get away from her!" Naruto growled. He came running through the crowd and stood in front of me. He punched Deidara's jaw and the enemy staggered back with a cut a lip. He looked a little shocked and I was, too. Naruto just hit a vampire and easily gave him an injury.

"If you ever touch Hinata again, I'll kill you!" Naruto growled.

Deidara overcame his shock and returned to his original haughty personality. "You'll regret ever doing that."

Naruto ignored the threat. "Why did you attack Hinata?! What kind of man hits a girl?!" He turned towards the crowd. "And why are you all still here?! Get lost!"

The people gathered around were scared and they slowly took their leave. The Naruto they knew was cool and collected so this was new to them (and to me). I wasn't scared of him but he certainly caught me off guard for the second time today. He was so sweet so Naruto having a side this like never occurred to me.

The enemy simply shrugged his shoulders like it was the simplest answer in the world. "Because she made me mad."

"You should never attack a girl even if she has done something to you! That's just low and twisted!"

"Why do you care?!" He was starting to get angry again. I flinched and prepared to throw myself in front of Naruto if he tried anything.

"Because I love Hinata!" My heart stopped for a second. Naruto loves me? "And you might not care, but I'd do anything for Hinata! And if that means taking you out, so be it."

Deidara lost his entire smug demeanor and his eyes widened at Naruto's words. It appeared to me that he came to realization with something. Was it the way he was acting? How stupid it was to hold a grudge against Kana for over 300 years? Whatever the answer was, he relaxed and stepped back.

Naruto took that as his cue to lower his guard.

"I'll be taking my leave now," Deidara said.

When he was out of sight, Naruto came to my side on the floor. He asked "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thank you, Naruto."

"How's your head?" He rested a hand on my forehead. I frantically moved his hand off of me as I felt myself beginning to blush.

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. You shouldn't have interfered." That was a lie. I was grateful that he did and I wasn't sure where I'd be without his help. My head was also killing me. It probably was killing me literally if that was Deidara's intention.

He frowned. "You're my first priority. I'll put you first."

I really wished he'd stop saying those things to me. It added onto my confusion and guilt. Normally, words like that would make me choose Naruto over anyone but the more that I thought about it; the more I realized that Sasuke wasn't just _anyone_.

Sasuke. Suddenly thinking of him seemed like the right thing to do. Something was telling me to go to him in order to solve this pain that I was going through, so, swallowing hard, I turned to Naruto and asked "Naruto, can you take me to Sasuke?" Admittedly, not only did it occur to me that seeing Sasuke might clear things up for me, but I hadn't seen him in a while anyway and I missed him.

"Why?" His entire mood changed as soon as I said his name. "He's the last person you should be seeing right now.

Naruto was right. I should be going to the nurse or home but if I did either of those, I'd end up going to find Sasuke before I even recovered anyway. "I just need to see him."

He didn't question me any further and helped me stand up. As soon as I stood, I was overwhelmed with a dizzy spell. If Naruto wasn't there to support me, I would've fell and probably wouldn't be able to get back up without help.

Somewhere along our journey to the church Naruto decided to carry me. He claimed that I was walking too slow for him and this solution would be faster. It was embarrassing but I hid my discomfort from him, fearing that he'd become angrier with me than he already was.

When we entered the doors of the church Sasuke rushed over to us. He asked "What happened?"

"Deidara," I responded.

Naruto put me down and assisted me over to the loveseat in the lobby and Sasuke sat beside me. He placed his cold hands on my head as if he knew that's where the problem was. His hands glowed white and his hands went from cold to warm and my body was overcome with a pleasant sensation that convinced my body to relax. All of the pain in my head disappeared and the wonderful warmth faded soon after the pain was gone.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

"You healed me?" I said feeling somewhat uncertain about what happened.

"What the hell are you?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

Sasuke calmly got up from the couch and approached Naruto.

"A vampire," Sasuke said.

His hands glowed yellow and he placed them on Naruto's head. In seconds, the yellow light faded and Naruto collapsed.

"What did you do?" I went to Naruto's side. He was unconscious.

"Don't worry. I just erased his memory. He'll forget everything he saw here." He picked up Naruto and put him over his shoulder. "I'll take him upstairs for now. Wait here."

I watched Sasuke carry Naruto upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms with no effort at all. The entire time Sasuke had Naruto, he wore an expression that I couldn't identify. It troubled me but I let it go. I assumed it was because I walked through the door with Naruto, but when the vampire returned to me, he addressed what was really weighing on his mind.

"Is Deidara giving you too many problems?" Sasuke asked.

"No. I think it's taken care of. Naruto stood up to him today," I answered. "Naruto punched him and knocked some sense into him."

I smiled at him but he didn't smile back. Looking closer at Sasuke, he actually looked miserable. He lost the usual radiance that he carried when he saw me. Now, he doesn't look at me the same. The love he has for me still exists but he hesitated to show any affection. He also refused to come near me. As he spoke to me, he stood near the staircase with his arms crossed over his chest. I sat on the opposite side of the room on the couch.

"You hang out with that boy a lot," he said, looking upward indicating that he was talking about Naruto.

"He's… He's my friend."

Sasuke remained in his spot. I could tell he wanted to come to me but he resisted the urge. I wanted to be near him too but I feared that if I went to him, he'd move away. Is he mad at me?

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"I…" I didn't have an answer for that question yet. I avoided the church before because this is where Kurenai died but I've long since gotten over that.

"Do you…" Sasuke bit his lip and asked the next question with effort. "Do you hate me? Are you afraid of what I am?"

"No! No, of course not!"

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

I became a little irritated as he persisted with the same question. "Because when you look at me, I think all you see is Kana!" I covered my mouth. The words spilled out before I got the chance to stop them.

His dark orbs widened and his mouth dropped slightly from surprise. I also surprised myself. I wasn't even thinking of those words when I said them. But when I said them, my heart felt lighter. Is that the reason why I haven't been around?

"I would never… Hinata, all I see is you. Kana's gone." It still pained him to say her name. He may have accepted her death but it seemed like he was still grieving.

"Why don't you ever talk about her?"

"Don't," he warned. "I can't talk about her right now."

I rose from the couch and made my way over to him. It relieved me when Sasuke didn't walk away. The hesitation he bore still remained though and I saw his body stiffen as I got near.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "You're acting strange."

"Don't worry about it." Now he sounded bitter.

I rested a hand gently on Sasuke's cold, pale face. His miserable eyes found mine. He was studying me. "I'm sorry that I haven't been coming to see you." I really meant it. "I'll come see you every day if you want."

"Don't force yourself to do things that you don't want to do." He removed my hand from his face but as he did so his eyes never left mine. He also never released my hand. "I know you don't love me."

"I'm not forcing myself to-"

"I can see it in your eyes, Hinata. Stop lying." He looked away from me but still held onto my hand.

He was hurt because I hadn't been around for so long and hurt because he believed that I was forcing myself to be here. He was so hurt that he refused to believe me no matter how hard I tried to assure him. I realized that words weren't going to get me anywhere. I had to prove to him that I meant what I said.

"Sasuke," I said softly. He hesitated to look at me but he did anyway. When we were looking at each other I kissed him. I felt him kiss me back and he released my hand.

The kiss was passionate and deep. When our lips touched, his cold mouth immediately turned warm and his hands found my hips. One of my hands rested behind the vampire's neck and the other clutched onto his jacket as I pulled him closer to me to deepen our kiss.

When I broke the kiss I said, "I'm sorry I hurt you. I really am. And I do mean it when I say that I'll visit you every day, so please don't be mad at me."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to say more but he dropped whatever he wanted to say and instead said, "Okay. I want to see you every day." He kissed me on the forehead and caressed my face. "You should go home. I'll take the boy home later."

I stared at him and this time I was studying him instead of him doing it to me. He was obviously still upset with me if he wanted to get rid of me this quick. But I didn't bother to protest. "Y-Yeah… Bye."

That night, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I screwed up. I felt so bad about not seeing him and I tried to repair it, but it wasn't good enough. I should've tried harder. I shouldn't have left when he told me to. I should've stayed to try to fix us. I just got rid of one problem and now I have another. I find this problem worse than the Deidara one.

I woke up the next morning feeling like I hadn't slept at all. I prepared myself for school, like usual, and was out of the door within minutes. Walking down the usual street that I took to get to Konoha High, I noticed Naruto at the end of the block waiting for me. He looked just as tired as I felt.

"Good morning," I greeted.

He greeted me as well and we walked towards the building together. We didn't talk much and the silence between us was awkward. It remained awkward until a voice called out my name and broke the uncomfortable air.

We both turned to see who called out to me. Naruto furrowed his eyebrows and stepped in front of me when we saw Deidara approaching us.

"I need to talk to Hinata," Deidara told Naruto. "Move."

"No way. Are you crazy?"

Deidara swatted Naruto out of the way like he was some kind of bug. Naruto staggered aside but bounced right back. He made his way over to Deidara to hit him but stopped in his tracks when he saw Deidara hold up his hand to shake mine. I stared at Deidara's hand like it was some kind of foreign contraption that I didn't know how to control. I didn't know whether his hand would kill me or actually cooperate with me.

"I'm sorry for everything I did and said. Let's start over." He put in a lot of effort to say those words.

"I… I don't…" Was this a truce?

"I'm not used to doing this. I know that everything I did to you was horrible and if you don't forgive me, I understand. I really want to be your friend though, so, um, can you forgive me?"

He appeared to be telling the truth and deep down, I believed Deidara was a good person. He lived a long life and lost sight of his morals. After losing the only person in the world that he cared about, I understood where his insanity came from. By becoming his friend, I could possibly give him some of his sanity back.

I took a chance and shook his hand and gave him my kindest smile. "Okay. I forgive you."

"H-Hinata?" Naruto was baffled. "How could you forgive him so easily?"

"What can I say?" Deidara said with a smirk. "We live to forget."

"I still don't trust you," Naruto said.

"I don't care about you. I just care about Hinata trusting me."

"Stop," I said. "If you're going to be my friend, you have to get along with all of my friends." I turned to Naruto. "In fact, I think that you will get along with Deidara better than you do with me."

"Hinata…" Naruto groaned.

"Quit whining," Deidara said. He slung an arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer to him. He pointed to me and said to Naruto, "You don't want to argue with this one. Girls always win."

Naruto pulled me away from him. "Just don't get too comfortable."

Deidara waved Naruto's words off. He was going to do whatever the hell he wanted and Naruto's face twitched when he realized this. I couldn't help but smile at them. I could already tell that the two of them were going to make this school year much more interesting.


	5. I Love You

I have been going after school every day and spending all of my time on the weekends with Sasuke. I kept my promise to him; however, he just doesn't seem to become less miserable. It's like my very presence makes him uneasy. I don't want to cause him trouble, but leaving again would only make things worse between us. I even tried asking him what was wrong. He simply shrugs his shoulders and says "nothing".

Seeing Sasuke so distant from me worries me. We're falling apart little by little and sometimes I can't help but feel that that's what he wants. Before I got attached to Sasuke, I would have wanted nothing more than to be apart, but now it feels like I can't live without him. When I'm at the church with him, he has no interest in me. He hardly looks at me or speaks to me. If he knew how much it hurt me, I doubt he'd care.

Despite how distant we've been, I can't help myself from going to see him. Somewhere deep down, I feel that I can repair what's been broken by trying to figure out what's wrong with him. The only problem is that he doesn't want to tell me. After visiting Sasuke for weeks after the last Deidara incident, I'd think he'd soften up and let me in. But I was wrong. Like always.

Saturday afternoon, I sat on the loveseat in the lobby near the fireplace. I made myself a cup of tea about an hour ago but haven't brought myself to drink it. I held it in my hands and watched the still brown liquid in the glass coffee cup. I was too depressed to drink it. At the time I made it, I felt like having something warm to draw my attention from Sasuke, but now that I have it, I no longer feel like drinking it.

Sighing, I sat the cup on the coffee table and I looked towards the direction of the stairs.

Ever since I got here, Sasuke's been upstairs doing God only knows what. No matter how hard I tried not to focus on Sasuke, I found myself doing just that and I soon came up with the conclusion that he stayed up there to avoid me.

Seeming as there was nothing more for me to do here; I grabbed my bag, stood up, and headed towards the front door. As I went to let myself out, Deidara opened it from the other side. I was just as surprised to see him as he was me.

"Deidara?" I said. "What are you doing here?"

As my newest blonde friend stepped inside of the church he said, "I could be asking you the same thing, little girl." My eyebrows furrowed when he called me little girl. "Where's that vampire boy? We're supposed to be playing cards."

"Upstairs. He hasn't been down all day. I'll don't think he'll come down to-"

"Deidara?" Sasuke said in same tone I used earlier. He descended the staircase when he said, "You're here early."

"Wanted to play now. I got bored," Deidara shrugged.

Sasuke frowned at him. He then peered around him to look at me. "Hinata, are you leaving?"

"Yeah…"

Sasuke still carried a tone in his voice that signified that he didn't want to talk to me. When he saw Deidara, he looked a little like his old self, but as soon as he noticed me there, he went right back to the Sasuke I've been around for the past few weeks. It definitely hurt when I saw the change in him. Deidara noticed it too and I saw sympathy in his eyes when he stared at me.

I also couldn't help but notice that Sasuke decided to come downstairs after Deidara entered. He wouldn't come to see me but Deidara's an exception? The guy who, not too long ago, harassed me, threatened me, and would have possibly killed me given the chance? I refused to show them how much that angered me.

I was startled out of my train of thought when I felt a cold hand grab hold of my shoulder. It was Deidara.

The blonde vampire said, "Since you seem so busy, Sasuke, I think I'll spend some time with my best friend. I'll come back tomorrow."

"_Best friend?"_ As soon as the thought finished crossing through my mind, my "best friend" tightened his grip on my shoulder. With two vampires able to read minds, I'll never have privacy.

"Okay, just make sure to watch her," Sasuke said without even the slightest concern for my safety.

This time Sasuke's tone wasn't as nearly as harsh as the other times when he spoke to me. Before I was able to stop myself, I felt my mouth curve into a smile. Was this progress? Whatever it was, Sasuke noticed me smile and turned away. My smile immediately turned to a frown.

"Okay, kiddie," Deidara said cheerfully to break the tension that was slowly creeping up and he began pushing me towards the door. "Let's spend some quality time at Konoha Square. By the time we finish, everyone at school will start calling us DeiHina."

"DeiHina?" I repeated.

I didn't get a chance to protest any further when Deidara pushed me out the church with him following close in suit.

We made it to the Square in ten minutes. For a normal person, it takes about fifteen minutes or more, but with a crazy person like my friend, the man pushing me towards our location, there's no way to get there in fifteen minutes or more even if you wanted to.

He's always wanted to spend time with me, but every time he asked, I always turned him down. I needed to see Sasuke every day in hopes of repairing our friendship and I also didn't completely trust Deidara enough to be alone with him. Even if it was a public area, I'm sure he'd have no issue throwing me against a wall if I got him mad enough. If school wasn't an excuse, then I'm pretty sure the dead center of Konohagakure wasn't an issue either.

Deidara insisted linking arms while we walked through the mall. He claimed that if we were linked, then he wouldn't be able to lose me in the crowd. He also said that all of the kids today are doing it so he wanted to try it too. All because of Deidara's desire to appear "normal", we walked throughout the mall linked all day. People stared, but not because we looked like a couple. They were looking because Deidara was supernaturally gorgeous.

Since he was a vampire, his skin was naturally pale, but at the moment, he appeared fair skinned. The next thing that caught attention was probably his hair. His long, blonde hair trailed down his back and ended below his shoulder blades. Usually he wears a part of it in a ponytail with the rest hanging down, but today he chose to wear it all freely. I agree that he was a gorgeous man, but the best feature on his face was his eyes. His eyes were a grayish blue color, but due to his vampirism, they stood out from the rest of his features because they almost looked as if they were glowing, and whenever you stared into them, they naturally sucked you in. Almost as if you were in a trance.

Deidara was tall. Maybe about six feet tall and his body was muscular from years of fighting. Knowing that Deidara lived for centuries, I'd expected him to be more muscular than he was now, but he disliked the bulky bodies and somehow maintained a lean size that he found suitable. Girls in particular found his body sexy and they liked it just as much as his face.

My friend never paid attention to them. Whenever he decided to take glimpses at people, it was more than likely because he thought they looked delicious. The innocent people around us were oblivious to his sinister thoughts though and continued to check out my sexy friend.

Deidara took me to whatever department I wanted to go to and bought me whatever I wanted. I didn't ask for much, but according to him, not wanting much wasn't satisfactory. So, no matter how much I argued with him, he got me whatever he seemed would suit me. I must admit, it made me feel good to know that he cared about what I have and didn't have. I couldn't be mad at him for getting me more than less. The only issue that I found that needed to be addressed was Deidara was buying me everything in the mall and not even thinking about himself. When we hit a jewelry store I told him to get something for himself.

He smiled, thanked me for my consideration, linked arms again, and then tugged me in the direction of the department he desired to go to. At first, I was curious about what Deidara liked. He rarely spoke about what his interests were and no one pressed to figure out what he liked, but when we were rapidly approaching his designated destination; I immediately found no interest in his likes. We were heading right for Hot Topic.

I never enjoyed rock or heavy metal music. It always gave me a headache and the style in that store also never interested me because everything here was so dark and gloomy. Deidara, however, was so eager to enter it that I couldn't bring myself to kill his fun with my selfish complaints. I would just have to endure it the way he did for me at the places that I liked.

He released my arm when we got to the accessories at the back of the store. The first thing he picked up was a choker with silver spikes sticking out of it at all sides. His blue eyes glowed with affection when he spotted it. He examined a few more things before deciding which accessories he wanted to tuck under his arm to buy.

I casually leaned against a nearby pillar and asked "Shouldn't stores like this offend vampires like you?"

"Why?" he responded while his gaze was still fixated on the items in front of him. "Because it's dark, depressing, and the music gives you headaches?"

"Well… yeah." My face became hot. I hadn't expected him to read my mind.

"Being in places like this is actually comforting. I love it here." He smiled at me.

To hide the embarrassment I was feeling, I smiled back and said, "Hmm, so there are times when even you of all people can be sentimental. I'm impressed."

"Impressed enough to win your heart?" he asked with a heavy British accent.

I could help but to let out a little laugh. "Sure, but I think you need to go to a psychiatrist first. All of those years of 'living' are getting to you."

He chuckled. "I suppose so."

Deidara bought the accessories he was staring at, a few T-shirts and a key chain for himself. And he couldn't help but to buy me a vampire plushie because he found it humorous to get me one that looked a lot like Sasuke.

We browsed the mall for a few more minutes before going to the food court for pizza. Since Deidara gave me a little bit of everything here in the mall, I decided to buy the pizza and soda. I hadn't brought much money because I hadn't expected to go to the mall, and I was very lucky that the manager was a woman that was infatuated with my blonde friend. She gave us a discount and I was able to afford it with only a nickel to spare.

I bought a small cheese pizza, a Pepsi for myself, and a Sprite for Deidara. Just like with Sasuke, I was amazed to see a vampire eat. He ate like a human and took care not to show his fangs. I hadn't noticed that I was watching him until he smirked at me, not caring that he showed me his teeth so long as no one else saw.

"Am I that hot?" he asked as he flipped his hair.

"No, that's not what I was… Never mind." I said with a bit of frustration. I then asked, "Does eating fill you?"

"No, but it _is_ nice to eat something other than blood. After having years of the same thing, anyone would want to indulge in something else. Not just that, I have to appear as human as possible."

A group of foreign high school girls walking in the shop stopped momentarily to take a look at Deidara. They giggled, whispered to each other, and then slowly proceeded to the cashier. They looked back at Deidara too often and paid too little attention to the, obviously annoyed, cashier taking their order.

"You have too many fans," I whispered.

His eyes followed mine. He shrugged, took a sip of his Sprite, and then said, "They're all meals to me." He studied them, which they mistook for him checking them out as they turned their temporary attention back to the counter. "They aren't fat enough for me. I need a person with meat on their bones in order to enjoy a hearty meal." He licked his lips in a way that many of the girls at school would faint over. I didn't find it sexy in any way whatsoever because of the subject we were talking about.

I rolled my eyes in disgust.

"Hey. Don't judge little girl," he said while pointing at me with his second slice of pizza. "I need blood to survive." He took a big bite out of it and then sipped his drink.

"I know, I know. I just don't get how you can talk about eating people to another human like it's a normal thing. In your world, I'm also a 'meal.'" I took a bite out of the crust on my first slice.

Deidara picked up his third slice and said, "Why don't you let me turn you into a vampire so you can experience the full package?" He bit the slice. "I could always use a pretty girl to spend eternity with." He smirked and looked me in the eyes. Desire lingered in his glowing blue orbs. It felt like one of those rare, serious moments that Deidara had. "Of course that means I'll have to take your innocence."

I blushed so badly that my face felt like it was on fire. No one has ever said anything like that to me before. Of course, Deidara wasn't just _anyone_. He was pretty close to insanity and would say anything to get a reaction out of someone he found fun to play with.

Picking up my second pizza, I said "You're just saying that to mess with me."

"No," he said, "I'm not." Deidara sat down his half-eaten pizza slice and placed a hand on the cap of his Sprite bottle. His gaze never left mine. "I want you to be a vampire. The only problem is I can't force you to. You have to be willing."

When he finally took his eyes off of me I asked, "What about Kana? She wasn't willing."

He scoffed. "Somewhere deep down, she definitely was if she turned." He took a gulp of his soda. "After sixteen years of being a virgin, it's only natural to want some kind of sexual interaction, right? Teenagers are always curious about the world of sex, especially back then. And during that era everyone wanted a taste of immortality."

"I… I suppose." I reached for my untouched Pepsi but didn't open it. Talking about this made me uneasy. And talking about it with Deidara only made it worse.

He noticed my uneasiness after he took a few bites of his pizza and said, "Hinata, you don't have to worry. I've changed. I'd never force you to do something you wouldn't want to do."

I looked at him.

"I mean it," he said. "If I was the same person from two weeks ago, I would've went to your apartment and fu-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" I interrupted with a burning hot face. I slumped back in my chair with a hand over my face. Right now, I couldn't bring myself to even look at him. He made me beyond embarrassed twice in less than an hour.

"I'd take that as a compliment if I were you. I only look at particular girls. It just so happens that you are one of a kind, Hinata."

"Thanks…" I mumbled.

"Hinata…" he began to say, but then trailed off when two of the five rejected foreign 'meals' wandered over to Deidara.

Both skinnier than Sakura Haruno, they both sat down at our table. Deidara's mouth twitched in disgust. To him, they weren't even worth looking at. To me, their faces and hair definitely outclassed me, but I had to agree with Deidara on one thing. Their bodies were too thin. Anyone who was skinnier than Sakura had to be anorexic.

"What do you want?" Deidara demanded in a harsh tone.

They were startled by his tone. I guess at their school, they were considered the prettiest girls there and weren't used to being spoken to like that. Over here, they looked like emaciated, prepubescent little girls compared to our high school's best. In this region, you needed at least some meat on your bones in order to avoid being made fun of and Deidara was the last person you should approach.

The girl with long, wavy dirty blonde hair said, "W-Well we-"

"Get to the point. Quick." He cut her off because he never had an intention of hearing her response to his first harsh question. When she opened her mouth to speak again he said, "I'm talking to someone who is actually interesting. Go away."

He shooed them away liked bugs and it was no surprise that they listened. They hurriedly returned to the rest of their pack and when they got there, the others asked them what happened. Even after their encounter, they continued to look back at Deidara like he was some god. He wasn't that sexy. If I'd been rejected like that he wouldn't even be worth looking at.

I took a sip of my Pepsi, wincing at the burning liquid sliding down my throat, and then finished off my pizza.

"Are you going to drink your soda?" he asked. Deidara wanted to get out of the pizza shop and tried his best to wait for me patiently.

I handed it to him and he finished it within two chugs. It was against the mall's rules to carry food or beverages around. Too many people over the years spilled their drinks on the merchandise and abandoned what they didn't want to finish in different departments. And too many people ate food in places that strictly said "No Food. No Beverages." Pretty soon the Konoha Mall is not only going to banish all consumables but also start forcing people to smoke in their cars instead of outside of the building too because you won't believe how many cigarette butts are left on the ground outside of the mall and in the bathrooms.

We meandered around the mall for a few more hours before we agreed to leave. We were carrying a lot of bags and my feet were hurting. I doubted Deidara's feet hurt but I'm pretty sure that he was bored and wanted a real meal.

Deidara walked me back to the church and this time it took us over thirty minutes. All we talked about on the way back was the teachers at school, the girls at the mall, and my dislike for Hot Topic. He just couldn't fathom how I couldn't bring myself to like it the way he does. He tried convincing me to go in with him the next time we went to the mall together and pick out something that I liked, but I hated everything in there… besides the plushies.

"I had fun," Deidara said with a large smile on his face. While I admit that seeing him smile was cute, it's still taking me some time to get used to his friendly expressions. "What about you?"

"Yeah. I had lots of fun." I looked back at the church from on the porch. "Since you bought me an insane amount of clothes, I guess I can stay overnight to try and mend Sasuke's and my broken relationship."

"Don't worry about that one. He'll bounce back after you give a little more effort."

"You sound so sure of yourself. I tried everything. I don't think he wants to be around me anymore."

He stroked my face with his warm hands. "Who couldn't want a girl like you?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," I responded.

I removed Deidara's hand from my face, but as I did, Deidara dropped his bags and caught my wrist with his other hand using his vampire speed. I gasped from the fast action and I also flinched. His eyes carried the same sympathy from this morning.

"Sasuke would be a fool to _not_ want you." He paused. "And if he doesn't want you…" Deidara leaned in to meet my lips. Before I got the chance to move away, he planted his warm lips on mine. We remained like that for a few seconds until Deidara removed his lips from mine. He locked his eyes with mine and finished his sentence. "I'll take you."

My face got hot for the third time today. The only difference with this one between the others was I was speechless. His words and actions are too much for me.

"See you Monday, Hinata." He grabbed his bags and left down the dark street.

Shaking off what had just happened I went inside the church. The lights were on but I saw no sign of Sasuke. He'd never leave this place without turning off the lights, so he had to be here. Maybe in the basement?

I put the bags my room and went back downstairs. When I descended the staircase, Sasuke was sitting on the loveseat. He was waiting for me. His hands were folded, he was slouching, and he seemed to be in thought. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice me sit beside him.

"Hinata…" he breathed. He no longer held that miserable tone in his voice, but his eyes certainly did.

"Sasuke, I know that I must've been annoying with the persistent questioning for the past few weeks, but I've got to know. What's wrong?"

Anger flashed in his dark orbs. "Why don't _you_ tell _me_ what's going on? _I_ should be the one questioning _you_."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. I was confused. "I was with Deidara. We went to the mall."

"I'm not talking about him."

"Then elucidate for me. I don't know what you're talking about."

He stood up and went to the other side of the room. I realized that his anger had been bottled up for a while now because of whatever I did. If he stayed around me, he might've done something regrettable.

"Naruto," he growled. He hated the very name. "You smelled like Naruto Uzumaki when that boy brought you here after Deidara attacked you. When I carried the boy upstairs he smelled like you, too."

I shot up from the loveseat and I opened my mouth to argue but then I realized what he was talking about. He smelled Naruto on me from the time we made out. Things got so heavy that night that I was prepared to lose my virginity and Naruto was more than willing to take it from me. Our clothes were gone and we were left in our underwear. Our skin touched and rubbed against each other viciously from long awaited need. During our make out session, our sweat touched and mingled… Sasuke must've smelled that.

Just before we were going to do it, I felt the urge to get away. I thought of Sasuke and was riddled with guilt. I meant to tell him about what happened but I was never able to do it. If I were Sasuke I'd be mad at me too. After all, he loves me and… I love him, too.

Now was the time to tell him.

I made sure our eyes locked so he knew that I was telling the truth. "Naruto and I made out."

He expected an answer like this but hearing it from the source was something different. His beautiful face staring back at mine was consumed with so much hurt that it hurt me just by looking at him. It then appeared that he was replaying my words in his head over and over again until it made him angry again.

"We didn't have sex," I said, hoping that it'd help at least a bit. But it didn't.

"Don't!" he growled.

From the other side of the room Sasuke came to me using his vampire speed. I was scared looking into his eyes. They were pulling me into his deep abyss and I didn't know how to escape from falling into inevitable death. I really made him angry this time and I believed that I wouldn't have a chance to tell him how I felt about him.

"Sasuke…" I said. My voice was barely audible because it was out voiced by my massive fear.

"You should've told me sooner!" he shouted. His voice boomed through the church.

My legs were losing their strength, but I pressed on to stand my ground. "I wanted to! I really did! It was hard for me to tell you because…"

"Because why?! You know how I feel about you! You should've told me as soon as it happened!" His voice was getting louder and I was losing even more confidence… I also found myself getting a little angry.

"We aren't dating!" I shouted back. He was unfazed. "Why should I have to tell you anything?!"

"Because I love you!"

"Yeah? Then you should understand." I stopped shouting and used my calmest voice. "You don't know how guilty I felt after being with Naruto. I thought about how angry you'd be when I finally told you for days. What you thought about me was all that mattered to me." I paused for a moment. "You know why I didn't let Naruto take me that night?" He didn't respond but his anger seemed to diffuse a little. "Because I came to realize that I love you too, Sasuke."

He was still enraged but when I confessed to him, a brief glint of shock flashed in his dark orbs. He took my words in and they seemed to replace his anger. But after a short while it appeared as though he became enraged again. It was as if my words weren't enough for him. He had to be the one to find out if I was telling the truth.

Sasuke grabbed me by the waist and brought my mouth to his angry lips. Our lips smashed together with such intensity and passion that I nearly moaned instantly. He took care to hold me firmly as our kiss burned with lust. We haven't kissed since the day before Kurenai sensei died and all of that bottled up frustration was released into this kiss.

The vampire tightened his hold on my waist and forced my body against his. The other hand found my hair, like last time, and tangled its fingers in my long, thick locks and readied to pull it whenever he saw fit. I welcomed his touch by resting a hand on his back and left the other on his neck. I caressed his skin as we continued the kiss.

Our bodies rubbed fiercely together. It created a pleasant sensation throughout my body that forced out a moan from under Sasuke's dominant mouth. I moaned a few times, which broke the kiss. So soon into this I was starving. I burned with a need for Sasuke. He noticed this just like last time only… he wasn't stopping.

Sasuke took me upstairs to my room and laid me down on the bed. He got on top of me and nestled between my legs. Another moan was on the verge of escaping, but it was muffled by Sasuke's lips. We kissed passionately on the soft sheets and greedily felt each other's body.

My warm hands wandered all over Sasuke's body and soon found its way to his belt. I took off the belt with a struggle because I tried to focus on the heated kiss. Once the belt was off I then unbuttoned his pants and he helped me take them off. When they were off he nestled between my legs again. I moaned once more from under him when I felt how needy he was. The moan was loud and it echoed throughout the church. With my body aching with lust and his throbbing with excitement I had no idea who was lusting more than the other.

Sasuke shortly broke the kiss to remove his shirt. I stared in awe at his well-defined six pack. I yearned to touch it, to kiss it, but I had to be patient. I'd have plenty of time to caress it when we got to our long awaited goal.

The vampire seized my lips again. The anger that the kiss once possessed disappeared as he ghosted his larger hands over my fully clothed body. In turn, my hands enjoyed touching his skin and his silky hair. Soon, I let my fingernails drag along the surface of his pale skin. He moaned from above me. It was the first moan he let me hear tonight and it sounded so full of lust and frustration. It also sounded beautiful and somewhat vulnerable. I became even more excited when I assumed that we might be close to having sex.

When that thought crossed my mind Sasuke hastily removed my T-shirt and then went to unbutton my skinny jeans. I helped him get them off even though he didn't need my assistance. When they were off I truly felt how much he wanted me when he rested between my legs again.

I suppressed a moan when I felt him between my legs, but it was soon released into the empty air when Sasuke began to drag his teeth along my exposed skin. There was no point in hiding the strained noises I made when they hit the night air. The feeling of Sasuke's sharp teeth felt too good to be true. It amazed me how they could be so painful and also so pleasurable. He glided them skillfully along my skin from my neck until he reached my panties. He then brushed his lips against my skin until he reached my lips.

With my lips he wasted no time in greedily taking them into his possession. I returned the kiss with just as much greed as he gave me. We both released a few moans together as our skin became even more sensitive to the other's loving touch. I found myself getting a little annoyed though. I wanted more right now. I wasn't satisfied.

I wrapped my arms around Sasuke's neck and ran a hand through Sasuke's hair. I rested that hand behind his head and pulled him in to deepen the kiss. He released another moan when my other hand found its way into his boxers. He was slightly surprised that I made the first move, but recovered quickly when he chose to retaliate.

His hands left my waist and aimed for my bra. He took his time in removing it because he got some satisfaction out of me desperately moaning from his groping. This was the first time I let anyone touch my breasts and as he touched them he watched my face. I felt the familiar heat creeping up on my face but I couldn't bring myself to look away from Sasuke. He stared at me with so much love and understanding. No one ever looked at me like that. Not even Naruto. This man adored me more than anything in the world. It made me happy.

Removing my hand from Sasuke's hair, I let it join my other hand in my lover's boxers. My gaze never left Sasuke's as I slowly removed them. I tossed them to the floor where all of our other pieces of clothing resided. When they hit the wooden floor, Sasuke took that as his chance to take off my bra. He watched the bra fall to the floor and then made his way to remove my panties only to find me removing them for him. He smiled at me and kissed me several times.

He kissed me passionately with heavy, inpatient breaths grazing my skin. His body rubbed hard against mine as I proceeded to take off my panties. The touch of his warm hands in my hair and his hot body pressing and grinding against me drove me crazy. So, when I finally got the underwear off, I tossed them to the floor and stared at Sasuke with just as much love as he granted me. Giving him all of my trust, I kissed him tenderly as I stroked his body. I called out his name in the empty room so loud that it echoed throughout the church's halls as I took in every bit of love he had to offer and let us become one.


	6. Things Are Getting Complicated

My body hurt. It was sore all over and no matter how hard I tried to not focus on the pain it seemed to hurt more. I knew that the first time would hurt but I didn't expect it to hurt _this_ much… Then again, Sasuke's a vampire. A vampire who hadn't had sex for a long time. And he proved how much he needed it during our first time together by leaving marks all over my body. Bruises, kiss marks, and some bites were all over my skin. Each and every one throbbed when the sheets rubbed against them and when the air touched them.

I woke up that morning (more like afternoon) with Sasuke pressed against my back. He held me close to his body with one of his hands on my waist, the other hand wrapped around my body, and his face buried into my neck. His breath was steady as it lightly grazed my throbbing skin.

I looked back to face my sleeping lover. I smiled at his content face. His features appeared to be even more beautiful while he was vulnerable. The sunlight pouring through the window only enhanced his supernatural beauty and I found myself being drawn to him. When I gently leaned in to kiss him on the lips I felt his mouth curve into a smile beneath me and he kissed me back.

"Good morning," he greeted against my lips.

"Morning," I replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore," I breathed, "but I'll manage."

He kissed me once more before rising from the bed. I watched him pick up the clothes from the floor and set them on the bed. He kissed me one last time before suggesting that I take a shower because he was going to take one too. Of course I had no problem with that; it's just that I feared how bad the hot water hitting me would hurt.

Without objections, I got off the bed and went into the bathroom that was connected to the room. As I entered the bathroom, I heard my cell phone that rested on the end table in the bedroom vibrate while I was in the bathroom. I trusted Sasuke enough to answer my texts so I let him.

After a few moments I peered around the corner of the wall to see Sasuke. "Who was it?"

He turned my lock screen back on and sat it down on the end table. "No one important."

I didn't question him about the message. Starting conversations with anyone besides Sasuke didn't really catch my interest at the moment anyway. Since we were officially a couple I wanted to spend my day with him and only him. So I took a quick shower, washed my hair, and actually bothered to dry it. I put on one of the outfits that Deidara bought me yesterday and headed downstairs, however, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. Again.

I searched the church, besides the basement, and there was no sign. I even checked my cell phone and there were no messages… Whoever texted me Sasuke must've went to go meet. I just hope it wasn't Naruto. If it was Naruto I wonder what he sent me. Sasuke has a _really_ short temper when it comes to people that he doesn't particularly like so it wouldn't surprise me if he went to "solve" the problem. Whatever problem-solving strategy he has in mind I just hope that it doesn't involve wiping him out from existence.

I made my way to open the front door when Deidara beat me to it. He was carrying a deck of cards in his hands.

"Hinata?" he said in surprise with his eyes wide. "You're still here?"

"Yeah. I was just about to head out to find Sasuke."

"He's not here?" he asked as he stepped inside. "That bastard was going to play with me today."

"He might be back soon." I closed the door to join Deidara inside.

He looked me up and down with a smile attached to his face.

"Wearing the clothes I bought you huh?" he said. "You fit them better than I imagined."

"Thanks. I appreciate the compliment, but not quite so much with those wandering eyes of yours."

He shrugged and let himself fall back on the couch. "Hey. I told you yesterday that you should be happy that I even bother to look at you. I don't pay attention to many girls."

Apparently I wasn't the only one wearing clothing from the mall. My blonde friend had on a black My Chemical Romance T-shirt with red surrounding the big, white letters, black, baggy pants with a chain attached to it, and he wore his usual converse sneakers. Taking a closer look I realized that his nails were painted black too. And, like yesterday, Deidara let his blonde hair hang freely. His long bangs hung over his left eye and the rest hung over his shoulders. The look suited him I admit, but there was something off about him.

I took a few steps forward but didn't get too close to Deidara. His skin seemed a little paler than yesterday. Also, it was barely noticeable, but Deidara carried dark circles under his eyes. The life in his eyes also seemed to be slightly dim. A positive radiance still lingered about him but the gloomy aura surrounding him certainly drew my attention away from how happy he appeared.

I sat in the seat opposite of him and noticed that he looked even sicker up close.

Just as I opened my mouth to ask him what was wrong, Sasuke came through the front door. He obviously wasn't pissed, but he did come off as smug. The cocky smile that he owned revealed it all. If I asked him where he was, it might destroy what we just repaired. Thankfully I didn't have to ask him. Deidara did instead.

"Where the hell were you?" he asked, standing up, and making his way over to Sasuke.

"I made a quick stop somewhere," he shrugged.

"Well I've been dying to play. Come on, vampire."

"Don't be so impatient."

Sasuke walked pass Deidara to give me a kiss. Deidara's eyes widened in surprise.

"I guess things worked out for you last night," Deidara said as he crossed his arms over his chest. I heard a hint of jealousy and anger in his voice. Sasuke didn't notice though.

"Y-Yeah. We were able to patch things up last night," I said.

He hid his true emotions well and "dismissed" it by mentioning the cards again. Sasuke hadn't suspected a thing but it was obvious to me. After Deidara and I finished spending time together at the mall, Deidara took me back to the church and kissed me. He said that he'd take me if Sasuke didn't want me. It wasn't necessarily a confession but I felt somewhat obligated to tell him that I fixed my relationship with Sasuke. Seeing how he reacted to the news, I felt guilty.

They sat in the parlor opposite of each other. Sasuke shuffled the deck and then dealt the cards. Deidara wouldn't look at me even once. To occupy himself while having nothing to do, even if for a short while, he'd usually make smart-ass comments about Sasuke or he'd make faces at me. Not this time. He sat there quietly and patiently as Sasuke passed out an even amount of cards from the shuffled deck. It made me uneasy to watch him. This wasn't him and not only was he no longer acting like Deidara, his appearance was also sickly. When I first saw his physical condition I thought it was age. Maybe not? Maybe it's something different?

Whatever was going on, besides the jealousy, I decided to exit the parlor to go to the kitchen that was right next door. I wanted something to drink.

Looking through the refrigerator I noticed that we were out of juice and soda. I had been meaning to pick up some more from the convenience store, but kept forgetting to with all that was going on. For the past few weeks, I had been drinking tea. So with no other options I chose to prepare tea.

Picking up my favorite coffee cup I ran cold water in it to the appropriate amount and stuck it in the microwave. As I waited for it to finish heating up I smelled something bad. Kind of like something rotting or decaying. Almost like a corpse that had been above ground for too long. I figured that something in the refrigerator was spoiling, but as I looked around in it I realized it wasn't the contents in the refrigerator. I then faced the tin trashcan. The trash was taken out and the can was scrubbed until it shined like new. With those ruled out I had no idea where the scent was coming from.

By the time I was done with my quick inspection the annoying beeping from the microwave went off. I pulled out the cup and then went into one of the cabinets to retrieve an herbal tea packet. As I poured the herbal powder into the steaming water I suddenly felt queasy from the scent. It just got stronger.

Wherever the smell was coming from it obviously originated from the kitchen. Something was rotting in here. I just didn't know what.

Turning around to check for the second time I came across the source just by facing behind me. It was a man. A dead man.

Rotting flesh hung off of his face, arms, and legs. Most of his face was peeled off, exposing his skull. The man had very little hair on his scalp and the places where there was no hair; there were lacerations that seemed to be infected at some point in his life. The massive amounts of skin missing from his left hand revealed his bone. His clothes, that appeared to be from a different era, were dirty, old, and torn. He appeared to have no eyelids so he was staring at me without blinking. It felt like he was boring holes into me as he extended his boney hand to touch me as he limped towards me.

Seconds later Sasuke and Deidara came storming into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked as he stepped into the small space. "We heard you scream."

Had I screamed? I hadn't even realized.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed when he spotted the rotting man. He stepped in front of me and looked at the man like he was trash. Deidara stayed by the door. He looked both appalled and astonished to see an actual zombie. I'd probably be in his position if it weren't for the shock overpowering all of my emotions.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke demanded. "What do you want?"

"I think you know what I want from you, Sasuke Uchiha." My eyes widened and I looked at Sasuke. He knew his name? The zombie continued to speak with his raspy voice. "Time's up. Where is the object I'm looking for?"

"I don't have what you need. Besides, it's been one-hundred years. Just forget-"

"Do _not_ tell me to forget about it," it warned. It limped forward and I saw Sasuke's body tense. He was ready for a fight. "We made a bet and you lost. I was kind enough to give you one-hundred years to fulfill the task, but it seems that you weren't able to find it, were you?"

My lover gritted his teeth and then clenched his fists.

"You have a week," the zombie announced. "If you don't have what I want by then," he glanced at me which made me flinch. "I'll kill your girlfriend."

Sasuke's expression turned to anger. "I won't let you harm her." My reaction to Sasuke's anger was to move backwards. I was startled by Sasuke's eyes. They turned blood red as he clenched his fists tighter and stared down the walking corpse. This was something new. It was scary. Not only did his eye color change but his presence did as well. Before, his composure filled the room with calmness even though there was an enemy. Now, the entire room was consumed in an ocean of rage. Was this a vampire trait?

"I'm glad you understand. We'll keep in touch."

The zombie molded in with the floor. It took a while for the smell to dissipate, but the scent was the least of my concerns. I know that threats should never be trusted, but seeing how Sasuke reacted to the corpse's threat, it made me wonder what they were talking about. What object were they talking about? What bet? How did I get involved in this? So many questions raced through my head that I wanted to ask Sasuke, but as I made my way to interrogate him, the front door burst open and Naruto came dashing in. He didn't look like the happiest person in the world. In fact, his rage almost matched Sasuke's. Whatever he was angry about right now certainly wasn't the best time to take it out on his "rival."

Naruto stormed past Deidara and aimed for my lover. I tried to quickly get between Naruto and Sasuke but I was too slow. Naruto approached the vampire and punched him right in the jaw. Sasuke staggered backwards but caught his balance before he fell.

Before Sasuke had any time to recover and retaliate Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and jerked his body towards himself. He was holding onto the vampire's shirt so hard his knuckles were turning white. This all startled me because it all happened so fast and it was uncalled for. What was Naruto so mad about? I opened my mouth to scold Naruto but Naruto's next words made me freeze.

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted as he shook Sasuke in his powerful grip. "You slept with her, didn't you?! You slept with Hinata!"

"Oh!" Deidara got comfortable by the doorway. "This is getting interesting."

Sasuke appeared to be unfazed by the blonde boy's behavior, but I wondered what he was truly feeling. A moment ago he was at his rage's peak. Now he was relaxed as if nothing had happened as he stared into the face of the boy who was just as enraged as Sasuke was a few minutes ago.

"So what if I did?" my lover asked with a calm voice. "It's none of your business."

"You're not even human! Who could love a monster like you?!"

"As long as Hinata loves me I don't care. And she also doesn't seem to mind me not being human."

"Do you even love her? Do you really love her? Vampires have no hearts. How could someone like _you_ love someone like Hinata?" Every time Naruto referred to Sasuke there was hatred lingering in his voice. He couldn't fathom Sasuke's feelings. To him, vampires weren't capable of any affectionate emotions. And when my blonde classmate said my name there was so much adoration in his tone that it slightly threw off his anger. Once my name escaped his mouth his rage returned.

"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped. "The reason why she loves me is none of your concern. Let me go. You're beginning to irritate me."

Naruto glared intensely at his "rival" for a couple of seconds and then shoved him away. His anger then turned on me. When he yelled I jolted and immediately felt cornered. Why was he mad at me?

"How?!" he asked with desperation. "How could you possibly love him?! Was… Was I not good enough? Is he better than I am?"

"No! That's not it at all."

"Then what is it?!" He came closer and Sasuke tensed again. His eyes carried some red in them. He was ready to attack if things went bad, but I doubted they would.

What was the reason for me choosing Sasuke over Naruto? Faces were out of the question. They were the last thing that I looked at, so what was it? Naruto and I had so much more in common; we understood each other because of how lonely we were. We both had no family to expect at home, we had to face the hardships of living on our own, and endure the hurt that tore at our hearts when we saw other children with their parents. Whereas Sasuke was a different case. Whenever we touched, may it be sex or a simple caress, electricity shot throughout my body. I also certainly felt more comfortable around him and knew Sasuke felt better with me around too. Not only that, I felt obligated to be with him. Almost as if we were meant to be together. On the nights that I was without him a part of me felt like something was missing. That never happened with Naruto.

With all of my differences sorted out, I had to figure out what made me choose Sasuke over the boy I loved for so long.

"Naruto…" I said. "I can't explain to you why I love Sasuke. There are no words to even begin to describe how much I love him… We can't live without each other."

He averted his eyes away from mine and clenched his fists. To me, it looked like he was going to cry, but he shook the unwanted tears off and turned back to Sasuke. "If you hurt Hinata," he warned, "I'll find you."

They glared at each other for several moments as the tension in the air thickened. No one moved. No one even appeared to breathing. Suddenly Naruto shifted his weight to exit. Once he was gone the tension still lingered, but it was soon terminated when Deidara laughed and said, "That was some show! Much better than television!"

My raven-haired vampire rolled his eyes. The red no longer resided in them as he walked past Deidara. I followed him and called after him. He wasn't in the talking mood so he ignored me. But I needed to know what the hell was going on with Naruto. How did he know that Sasuke and I slept together? I also wanted to know about the zombie thing. Since I am now involved in that too, I ought to know about that too. I am now at risk of losing my friendship with Naruto and I am also in potential danger. After fixing Sasuke's and my relationship I _really_ didn't feel like repairing two more situations.

I reached out to grab a hold of Sasuke when I suddenly froze. I couldn't move and my vision fading soon followed. At first I saw nothing but darkness, but it soon turned into some kind of… illusion? This illusion took place in front of the church. It reminded me of the first time I entered the mysterious building. But the only difference was no one was around and it was nighttime. It still carried the eerie presence that it once possessed when I first approached it and I hesitated to go inside. My attempt at walking away was futile though. My feet moved on their own and went up the concrete stairs to the old wooden door. My hand reached out to turn the knob and I pushed it open, making sure to keep an eye on the rusty hinges.

Once inside, I immediately surveyed my surroundings. It looked the same as when I entered it for the first time. Thick layers of dust coated the surfaces of every object here, cobwebs dwindled in corners and dangled from the ceiling, the furnishings were all outdated and unable to be preserved. The windows were dirty and little light casted into the lobby and onto the dirty floor. I felt déjà vu just by entering it. I also felt a strong sinister presence. This illusion obviously wasn't meant for me to feel nostalgia.

I stepped farther into the abandoned church. I didn't even dare to call out to anyone this time. That was a mistake I wasn't going to make again. I couldn't risk meeting a fake Sasuke and lose blood even if it was an illusion. Whatever happens here could happen to me in the real world. I already knew that this was meant to harm me and I couldn't take any chances of stepping into some kind of trap. Since I suspected traps I should be able to avoid them by doing what I didn't do the day I met Sasuke.

Quietly, I proceeded to the outdated kitchen. No one was there. Next to the kitchen was the parlor and I cautiously scoped out this room. I was very unfamiliar with this space so I took care to inspect it thoroughly. Nothing unusual was taking place in here so I decided to go upstairs. The staircase creaked more than the floor. Even if I could walk up the steps with extreme caution, they still made noise. Sasuke was the only person I knew that could go up and down them without making a sound, and trying to imitate his movements didn't help in this situation. Giving up on trying not to make noise, I ascended the staircase like I normally did, but made sure to be more aware of my surroundings.

The first room I entered on the second floor was the study. This was another room that I barely went in. Nothing in here was familiar to me. The large bookshelves touched the seven foot ceiling and every space on its shelves was occupied with hundred year old dusty books. A desk sat opposite the bookshelves and it was the only thing in the church that didn't own dust. Sasuke must've used it frequently, but what was the point in using a desk and not any of the books? There was no paper around, so he couldn't have been writing letters. I didn't want to linger on the thought so I left the study and went into my bedroom.

The only object in here was the old bed that was as hard as a rock. Maybe even harder than a rock… Quickly realizing that I was getting distracted, I shoved the memory of the hard mattress aside and scanned the bedroom. Nothing. So I went into the bathroom that was connected to the room. There was nothing there either. I even inspected the hole in the wall that was once there before Sasuke and I patched it up. Nothing.

Wondering what my purpose was here, I descended the steps to go back into the lobby. I became frustrated. There was nothing here for me. Nothing unusual, nothing dangerous, and no clues. I checked everywhere… except the basement. Just thinking about the basement sent chills up my spine. Sasuke told me to not go in there, and I no longer had a desire to go explore it due to what I feared was down there. I believed that Sasuke fed down there. He might even keep live bodies down there for all I knew. I didn't want to go in the basement. And even though this might be an illusion, I felt as though I would be disobeying my lover if I entered it… Debating whether to go in or not, I quickly decided to check it out for the sake of escaping this place.

I approached the door and stared at it. I never stood this close to it before and it felt weird to be standing in front of it. I inspected the old door and took in every detail of it. The cracks, the paint chipping off, the rotting wood easily breaking off and falling to the floor around the rusty doorknob as I placed my fingers on it. Guilt gnawed at me as many thoughts raced through my mind. What was Sasuke hiding on the other side of this door? What was waiting for me beyond the musty stairs? What was I going to do when I got to the bottom? Was this my ticket out of this illusion? Whatever the answers to my questions were, my worry didn't stop me from twisting the knob and pushing the door open.

My eyes were closed tightly and I covered my nose as the strong scent of mildew attacked me. I brushed the awful smell aside as best I could and looked onward. It was dark. I couldn't see anything and couldn't make anything out from at the top of the staircase. I'm not usually a brave person and I found it strange that my fear didn't get the best of me yet. I had to go down there, and now that I opened the door, the eerie room seemed to be calling to me. There was no turning back now, so I took my first step to descend the wooden, creaky stairs. I forced my feet to descend more of the steps and with each step, my heart beat fast and hard. So hard that it felt like it was going to burst through my chest. I had to ignore it though. If I let my fear get the better of me I'd get nowhere. With more effort than you'll ever know, I pushed my oncoming fears aside and finished descending the staircase.

Darkness. That was all I saw. I blindly tried to find a wall in hopes of finding a light switch along it. Before long, my hands planted on a cold, stone wall. I glided my hands along its rough surface for what seemed like forever and I eventually came across a switch of some kind. Eagerly, I flicked it and took a deep breath. The lights came on, but they weren't as bright as I thought they'd be. I could see down the long hallway and noticed that the walls were aligned with prison cells. They filled the walls with them and they were in poor condition. Some time ago, it appeared that this basement once flooded and the damage was never repaired. The stone ground and the humid air were probably consumed with illness and the area was more than likely filled with black mold. Just being down here could kill me if there wasn't a threat lurking in the dark.

I took a deep breath again only this time the air I took in almost choked me. It was thick and probably filled with disease. As I walked down the long, dark hallway I tried my best to not look into the cells. The sounds, however, were more than I could handle. Moans, groans, and strained gasps for life echoed through the narrow hallway. I felt bad for the people here, but I couldn't do anything about their unhealthy states. Also, even if I were to free them, I'm pretty sure that they'd die not too long after their release. They all probably contracted diseases that were beyond treatment and I doubted that some were even strong enough to ascend the staircase. I had to keep going.

It hadn't been long after I passed the cells that I was engulfed by the darkness again. I tried to find a light switch along the wall and when I finally found one the switch didn't work. Now I was scared and I didn't try to hide it. It was so dark, but no matter how afraid I was, I kept walking down the hall.

As I got farther down the hall I couldn't help but notice that the moans, groans, and gasps had ended. The only noise that lingered was the sound of my shoes echoing with each step I took down the empty, narrow space and the sound of the water dripping from the stone ceiling and onto the damp floor. It kind of calmed me since I could now make out any peculiar noises, but it hardly stopped me from trembling. I kept thinking to myself: what was at the end of this hallway? It wasn't long before I got my answer.

After I reached a certain point the lights suddenly came on. It hurt my eyes because I was used to the darkness. These lights were brighter than the ones at the beginning of the basement, and as I took in more of the creepy surroundings the more I wanted to go back into the darkness where I couldn't see anything. Mold lined the walls and wrapped around the metallic bars of the cells. Inside the cells were skeletons chained to the stone walls behind them. Around the skeletons were dry blood and other components that I couldn't identify that must've been destroyed whenever the flood took place. Above me, the ceiling appeared to be caving in and it seemed like it'd fall at any given moment. Once I noticed the ceiling I decided to not go any further.

I stood underneath the bright light holding myself. My trembling had toned down at this point and I was more aware of my surroundings. Like Sasuke, I kept my guard up to take on any threats lurking in the dark. If I were to ever get into a fight, unfortunately there'd be no doubt that the enemy would win.

The area began to get cold. Goosebumps ran up my arms and the eerie feeling I got from the basement just got eerier. I was about two seconds from turning back around when something in my periphery caught my attention.

About five feet away from me stood a person. I couldn't identify if the person was a male or a female because it was a silhouette. But from where I stood, I could tell the person looked about five foot six, maybe about one-hundred and twenty-seven pounds or more, and possessed a not so friendly presence. The presence this person carried was the same one that I felt when I first entered the church. The same presence that made me want to turn back around and escape. No doubt the person noticed me though so unfortunately I wasn't going anywhere.

The figure didn't come after me though. The person stood there and just stared. It freaked me out a little bit. No doubt this person was the cause of me being here, so why just stand there when you could do anything you wanted to me in this illusion? My question was answered soon after that thought crossed my mind. The figure extended its hand to me as if he wanted me to take it. I backed up slightly when I assumed that, but I was proven wrong when the hand began to glow a dark orange color.

My body moved on its own and dashed down the long, dark hallway to escape whatever the silhouette was planning to do. My feet didn't get very far, unfortunately, because after a few paces down the hallway, the hot magic hit my back and I went tumbling to the ground. As I was tumbling, my vision began to fade just like when I first entered this illusion. However, as I temporarily lost my sight, the voice of the figure popped into my mind and spoke to me. It only said three words.

"You will die."

After that I awoke on the floor in Sasuke's arms. Deidara stood not too far from us, hovering over me. They both looked worried. What happened? Did I collapse? Hopefully if I did, I didn't hit my head on the floor. I had a major headache and it was throbbing so hard that it felt like my head was going to explode. So instead of asking what had actually happened, my hands immediately grasped my throbbing head and I grunted through gritted teeth.

"Hinata," Sasuke asked frantically, "are you okay?"

He didn't give me the chance to answer. He immediately brought his left hand to my forehead and it glowed white. My body was overcome with the same relaxing warmth from the first time Sasuke healed me. It didn't surprise me at all that my lover did this, but Deidara's eyes widened in shock at Sasuke's ability.

We could both tell that he wanted to ask what the hell Sasuke just did, but he chose not to and instead asked me, "What happened?"

"I don't know. I ended up in some kind of… illusion," I responded.

"What kind of illusion?" Sasuke asked.

I told them about what happened. I expected them to be shocked by the story, but they weren't. They seemed to be upset instead. Did they know something about what that all meant? I decided to ask them and they both seemed very uncomfortable in answering. But it was Sasuke who chose to tell me after a long awaited pause.

"It's a curse," Sasuke said. "A witch's curse."

"W-What's that?" I didn't like the sound of that at all.

Deidara decided to join in. "That orange light that hit you is a curse. If memory serves, you'll die within a week."

I shot up from Sasuke's hold. "What?"

"Don't worry, don't worry," Deidara shushed as he slug an arm over my shoulder. "I'll take care of it."

My eyebrow arched in disbelief. He shrugged it off however and led me to the center of the lobby. My heart raced as he walked circles around me. Sasuke stood not too far off but out of range for whatever Deidara was going to do. A few seconds after Deidara was inspecting me he planted himself a few feet in front of me and gave me a twisted smile. Still mad about this morning I suppose.

"Don't worry, princess," he said as a little satisfied smile played on his lips when I scowled at the new nickname. "I'll take care of you."

I took a quick glance at Sasuke. He was worried so that meant that he had no idea what Deidara was going to do. But he trusted him enough to try to "cure" me. Since my lover was a little unsure about the outcome of this procedure I was too.

My blonde friend noticed the uncertainty I carried and spoke to me in a calm, soothing voice. "I won't let anything happen to you. Promise."

My only response to that was a wry smile. I wish I could've said something else, but the only thing that came to mind was asking what he was planning to do to me. I didn't want ask because I feared that I'd become more uneasy if I knew. So I just stayed silent and took a deep breath.

Deidara chanted some kind of incantation in fluent Latin as I let him walk around me again. After circling around me a few times he took his place back in front of me and looked up at the ceiling as he spoke. It appeared to me that he was asking a question, but then he brought his blue-gray eyes back down on mine and smirked. I arched my eyebrow in question but then I realized why he smirked.

Each of his hands glowed light orange as he approached me. I wanted to back up immediately but decided not to. I had to trust whatever he was doing. And as I thought that, a hand ghosted over my torso and rested on my chest. The other stroked my hair and then rested on my forehead. Was that a part of the procedure? If was or not, Sasuke didn't like how he touched me. His eyes narrowed and his arms were tightly crossed over his chest as clenched and unclenched his jaw.

The hand that was on my forehead found my cheek and caressed it gently. That brought my attention back to Deidara and earned a deathly glare from Sasuke. He had his hand there for a while as he stared at me with affection. I couldn't look away from him. There was something that… drew me to him.

"Pay attention to me," he said.

Before I could come up with a comeback on that comment, Deidara returned his hand to my forehead and mumbled something in Latin. The light became brighter. I expected to feel something, like with the way I felt with Sasuke's healings, but I didn't feel anything from this. When the procedure was finished it took Deidara to release me in order for me to notice it ended.

"All better," he said with a snarky smirk. "You're cured for now, but it'll only take a week for the witch to notice that you're not dead. My suggestion to you," Deidara pointed to Sasuke and me as he took a step sideways, "is to find out who did this in the first place and kill them. I felt how strong the magic was when I removed the curse. This was done out of anger, and the witch isn't going to stop until the target," he pointed to me, "is dead."

Sasuke nodded and approached us. "Did the removal of the curse work?"

"Of course it did," he scoffed. "I'm brilliant! There's no way it couldn't work."

My lover sighed and laced his, surprisingly, warm hands with mine. "Where do I find this witch? Any ideas?"

"No idea. It's not like you could ask around town where people might have seen a witch. You'll have to do some investigating and reading my friend."

"Don't you have a friend or something that's good at tracking down people?" I asked Sasuke.

He closed his dark eyes and looked upward. After a few brief moments he brought his head back down and sighed. "Yeah," he said. "I know someone. But he lives pretty far and I haven't seen him in a while. I'm not sure that he'll help because of how long I neglected him."

"Well, if he's a good person, he'll understand, right?"

Sasuke was about to open his mouth to respond when Deidara cut him off. "No time. Just go and convince him."

"Fine," Sasuke said.

"I want to go with you," I said. My lover was obviously going to say no, but I cut him off before he got the chance to open his mouth. "I'm involved in this so I want to be a part of your visit to your friend. I hate the idea of you doing something to save me when I'd be sitting here doing nothing. I could be doing something, too. Let me come along."

He sighed deeply and his eyes found mine. "Okay," he strained to say.

"Now that that's settled," Deidara began, "I'll hold the fort here. Our zombie friend might come back while you're gone."

"Thanks," Sasuke said to Deidara. He then turned to me. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."

With nothing more to say that evening I packed a bag for the journey. The location of Sasuke's friend was on the outskirts of Konohagakure. We could get there within a day but only if we were well rested… Well, more like, only if _I_ was well rested. Sasuke didn't need rest. His stamina and endurance was ten times better than mine. And he also didn't need to go to bed early that night to wake up early in the morning for our journey. I did however. It took me well over an hour that night to fall asleep because I was filled with both worry and excitement. When I finally fell asleep it felt like I'd only slept for a couple of hours when Sasuke came to wake me the next day.

After I prepared myself for the day, we left the church together. Our blonde vampire waved us good-bye from the porch. Jealousy consumed his face as he watched us go. He didn't want me alone with Sasuke, especially after he discovered that we slept together two nights ago. He acted fine in front of Sasuke, but I could tell that whenever Deidara and I got the chance to be alone together, he'd question me about it to no end. The same day that Sasuke and I had sex Deidara kissed me and confessed that he liked me. It was wrong that I didn't tell Deidara about anything that happened between my lover and I and I regret not telling him. I dread the day when the time comes to explain myself.

Sasuke and I didn't talk much throughout our way to Sasuke's friend's house. We were too determined to get there and to obtain the answers we were looking for. I also was a bit curious about how this person looked, whether he was friendly, and if he was a vampire. The only creatures that I've met were vampires, a zombie, and a witch. None of them were very pleasant creatures so I wondered if the person we were going to see was like the others. If he was it wouldn't surprise me. I expected it.

We didn't rest at all even though I was exhausted from both walking and the late spring heat. We had been walking for hours. Somewhere along the way my lover asked me if I wanted to take a break but I refused. It was a good thing that I didn't though. We left the church at the break of dawn and by the time we arrived at the house it was twilight. If I rested it'd probably be nighttime.

Sasuke approached the small house first and picked the lock to get us inside. I wondered why he picked the lock but didn't bother asking. The house sat by itself out here so even the slightest noise could alert whoever lived here. I couldn't risk startling the owner.

Stealthily, Sasuke walked through the door and led me to one of the rooms closest to the front door. We waited there silently in the traditional Japanese styled room on the tatami floor. Sasuke was calm and I was _very_ confused. When Sasuke mentioned that this person was his friend, I wondered now if he was lying. Why would you pick the lock to your friend's house when you could just knock? I couldn't ask right now, but I _really_ wanted to. I was nervous because we just committed the crime of breaking and entering.

Moments later my anxiety spiked as we heard footsteps shuffling across the floor. The steps rapidly became louder as the person got closer and closer to the room. When the person reached the room I nearly ran from fear of getting caught. But instead of this person freaking out or becoming enraged, the person rushed over to Sasuke, who stood up to meet his friend, and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Sasuke…" the person breathed.

Was this his friend? I thought Sasuke said the friend was a boy? Looking at this person's features and figure made me think otherwise.

This person had pale skin, but possessed the warmth that living people had so that ruled out him as being a vampire. His face was heart shaped and he had high cheek bones. He had big, beautiful brown eyes that brought about a sense of innocence to his aura. Probably the prettiest ones I've ever seen, too. They were so common but this person made them look so rare. He also had long, thick eyelashes and perfect, thin eyebrows. His long, silky black hair was thick and absolutely too stunning for words. He had the prettiest hair I'd ever seen.

Aside from his facial features, this person's body was small and dainty. He also looked so fragile and every movement he made was graceful and gentle. The fact that his body appeared to look like a girl's didn't really help with my impression of his fragility. This person owned a slim waist, well-defined curves, and he was as tall as I was or maybe even shorter. Also, when he threw his arms around my boyfriend's neck, I took notice to how small his hands were. Usually a person's hands give their gender away whether they're female or male regardless if they're androgynous or not, but not this person's. His hands were either the same size as mine or slightly smaller.

I knew for certain that Sasuke didn't like boys, but I couldn't help but to feel a strong surge of jealousy flow through me when his friend hugged him.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked with a voice that belonged to a woman as he pulled away. He kept his hands around Sasuke's neck as he locked his adoring eyes with Sasuke's.

"Haku," Sasuke said in a tone that signified that he was about to ask for a favor. As he spoke, Sasuke's larger hands rested on the boy's waist. It wasn't an intimate touch, but it still bothered me. "We need you to do something for us."

Haku took a quick glimpse at me. Even though it was very brief I felt as though he was studying me thoroughly, as if he was reading me. And I felt like he had a better reading of me than when Sasuke studied me the first time we met. In that quick glimpse, Haku probably read my demeanor, my body language, and also got a good impression on what kind of person I am.

With adoration, Haku told Sasuke with utmost kindness, "Anything for you. What do you need?"

The young boy directed us over to the table sitting in the middle of the room. On it sat a round, crystal ball. Haku sat on one side of it and gestured us to sit on the other side.

Sasuke spoke as we sat down. "I need to know where I can find a talisman. They're very rare. I made a bet about one-hundred years ago and I'm well past the due date. Can you locate its whereabouts?"

"I'll try but I can't guarantee I'll succeed." He paused and then gave me his attention before he began. "It was rude of me to not introduce myself. I was just so excited to see Sasuke that I forgot my manners." He smiled so sweetly that I nearly felt guilty for feeling jealous. "I'm Haku Yuki. I'm a gypsy. You must be Hinata Hyuga, Sasuke's girlfriend. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I returned the smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Haku." Odd. Sasuke never mentioned my name.

After that, Haku went straight to business. When Haku closed his eyes and his hands hovered over the crystal ball, the lights in the room immediately went out. It startled me but my boyfriend remained calm, like always. Once the lights went out, a gust of wind came in and played with our hair and danced around us. It only did it for a few seconds before it surrounded us like a barrier. Moments later the ball glowed a bright, light blue color and Haku's eyes shot open. His once brown eyes were now glowing white.

Normally a situation like this would freak anyone out, but I found it pretty cool. I was even disappointed when the wind began to die down. Once the wind left Haku's eyes returned to normal and the ball stopped glowing. With a heavy sigh, Haku sat there for a few moments to collect himself. It was brief, but it took a lot out of him. He was either collecting himself from the all of the energy he put into performing the, I'm assuming, the locator spell, or he was still gathering the information he received.

Even though he was exhausted, he still smiled at us with just as much radiance as earlier and said cheerfully, "I got it."

"You did?" Sasuke asked. Judging by the tone of his voice, he wasn't surprised that Haku could do this so easily. It made me wonder just how powerful he was. "Where is it?"

"The one who possesses the talisman you're searching for is a boy named Naruto Uzumaki."

Sasuke and I shared the same shocked expression. Our mouths hung open slightly and our eyes widened in disbelief. With all that's happened, no way will Naruto lend us the talisman, especially since there'd be no way Naruto would get it back. He didn't hold onto grudges, but after what went on yesterday morning, even the forgiving Naruto Uzumaki wouldn't give us something that valuable.

So instead of asking if there was another talisman out there, which more than likely was a "no", Sasuke and I both asked in unison, "What?"


	7. The Witch's Reason

"So you know this person?" Haku asked.

I didn't respond. I let my eyes wander elsewhere. Why did it have to be Naruto who had what we needed? Getting him to give us the talisman was _not_ going to be easy in the least. I knew Naruto well enough to know that he must still be angry after finding out that the person he hates, Sasuke, and I slept together. Not only that, Naruto and I once shared an intimate moment that almost led into us having sex. After that, our romantic moments were very brief and the feelings we shared were slowly becoming one-sided. Despite having loved Naruto for years, I began to love Sasuke even more after only a few months of spending time together. When I told Naruto that I was in love with Sasuke he became upset and hasn't bothered to contact me. I'm not sure he will again, but he'll have to talk to me soon because of the talisman.

"Yes. He's a boy who's infatuated with my girlfriend," Sasuke said. He then got off of thinking of Naruto quickly before he became angry again from being reminded of yesterday afternoon. "What does the talisman look like?"

"From what I saw, it's a light blue colored shard. The boy carries it around his neck all of the time. It must be precious to him," Haku answered.

"Should I just take it from him?"

"Do whatever you believe is necessary."

My eyes widened. That talisman was given to him by his parents. It was the only thing he had that was left by his parents. Whether to give it up or not was no choice at all. If I were also in that position I'd never even think of handing it over. And now that I know what the talisman is I don't want to pursue Naruto. Having no parents, I know what it's like to hold onto the only thing they left behind. I'd rather have the witch kill me than Sasuke and me forcing Naruto to give up the talisman.

"Thank you, Haku," Sasuke said as he stood up. "We should be on our way."

My heart stopped. I didn't want to do this anymore and I was going to tell him. However, Haku beat me to it. He shot up from the floor and grabbed onto Sasuke's long sleeved shirt.

"Wait!" he said. "Maybe you should rest for tonight? You'll need your strength for what is to come. And besides," he looked at me. "Hinata seems exhausted."

Sasuke frowned. "I don't want to waste any more time. Sorry."

"I understand where you're coming from, but…" The beautiful gypsy furrowed his perfect eyebrows. "If you really want to get this talisman you'll rest. You need your strength! If you act irrationally you and Hinata will die."

The last words he said surprised me. How much did Haku see in that crystal ball? Was there a chance that he saw into the future as well? Whatever he saw, Haku was taking care to try to not let anything slip. He was hiding something but not because he wanted. He _couldn't_ tell us as much as he wanted to.

Sasuke realized it when I did. He sighed and gently rested a hand on his friend's hand. "Alright, but it'll only be for one night."

Haku smiled sweetly and sighed from relief. "Thank you. I already have rooms prepared since I expected your arrival." He then smiled at me. "I'd like to get to know you a little more too. You're a very interesting individual, Hinata."

"You too."

Haku was an interesting creature who I would like to find out more about, but I found myself wanting to know more about how he and Sasuke met. They were attached to each other and I never saw Sasuke act as warm with another person other than me. Haku acts like an innocent child with Sasuke but when he talks to me, I can see how insightful and independent he really is. Recalling how fragile I thought he was, I can now see that he must be nowhere near his assumed fragility.

Sasuke's and my head snapped in the direction of the front door when we heard it open and then close. The heavy footsteps travelled across the wooden floor and headed towards the room we were in. I noticed Sasuke's body tense slightly as the person got closer to the room. I jumped when the person roughly opened the tatami sliding door with such a force that it slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

This man was the exact opposite of Haku. His skin contrasted to Haku's snow white skin and his facial features were rough and masculine. His eyes were smaller than Haku's large ones and this man's eye color was black. His hair was short and dark brown. Normally I don't look at teeth, but this person's was an exception. Out of all the things on his face, his teeth stood out the most. Just from looking at his sharp teeth, I knew he wasn't human. He wasn't a vampire either though. Warmth dwelled in skin and his teeth reminded me more of a shark. Not a vampire.

As for his body, he was well over six feet tall and he bore large hands and feet from his massive height. The man was wearing a T-shirt tight enough to display his well-defined six pack. His muscles on his arms were also well-defined and large. He looked like the perfect warrior in my eyes. And with the gigantic sword on his back, it only added onto my amazed impression of him. Maybe this was Haku's bodyguard?

"Who's this?" Sasuke asked. Judging by the tone of his voice, he didn't like him.

"This is Zabuza Momochi," Haku said. "He may not look like the kindest person in the world, but don't let appearances fool you. He's very friendly. Right, Zabuza?"

The man didn't respond at first. He walked into the room and with each step; I heard the floor creak under his heavy feet. Zabuza strolled over to one of the corners in the room and lifted the mat. He pulled out a few bottles of alcohol and chugged a bottle down like a glass of water. My jaw dropped in amazement.

After he finished the bottle he turned to Haku and asked "What the hell's a vampire doing in my house?" His voice was deep and sounded inhuman.

"Sasuke Uchiha and his girlfriend, Hinata Hyuga, are staying with us over night," Haku said calmly as he walked over to Zabuza. "Please be kind."

"Whatever."

The large man collected some more bottles and tucked them under his arms. He didn't bother to look at me, but he gave my boyfriend a glare full of hatred before he exited the room. We heard his heavy feet on the floor and Sasuke decided to speak once the sound disappeared.

"You're right," Sasuke said sarcastically. "He's very friendly."

"Please forgive him." The young gypsy frowned. "Zabuza's a water nymph. His clan was slaughtered by a pack of vampires a decade ago. He's not very fond of vampires as a result."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'll just avoid him then." He left the room and I heard him go in the same direction that Zabuza did.

"I guess he's going to bed," I said.

"Yes." Haku sat down opposite of me on the tatami flooring. He fixed me with a gaze that seemed to be seeing into my soul. I shifted uncomfortably under his stare. What was he doing? He suddenly spoke and my heart jumped. "I'm sorry for your loss. Your family members were great people and their passing was hard for you. They did not die in vain though. Your parents raised a wonderful daughter."

"W-What the… What did you just do?"

"I reached into your memories. You wanted to ask me how I met Sasuke, right? I thought it seemed fair to know more about you too." I opened my mouth to ask why he didn't just ask me about my life, but he read me before I got the chance to get the words out. "It's a difficult topic for you to talk about. You only ever told Naruto about the tragedy but it was only a fragment. Even though he understands you it's still hard to talk to anyone about what happened that day." After he finished speaking, his soul-seeing gaze faded.

"You can do that?"

"Yes." He then frowned. "I would like to tell you more about what happened that day, but I'm not allowed. Not yet anyway. There's more that you need to know about that day…" He looked downward and the frown still played upon his lips. It was as if someone was whispering something in his ear. "When I'm able to tell you more about the tragedy I'll come to you."

"O-Okay…" I was a little freaked out. Were all gypsies like this? I wanted to get off of this topic immediately so I brought up the question that I'd been dying to ask. "You and Sasuke are pretty close. How did you meet?"

His trademark sweet smile returned to his beautiful face as he fixed me with his innocent eyes. "Sasuke and I met about five years ago when I was ten years old." His smile faltered. "In Kirigakure, my homeland, gypsies were greatly feared by all of the townsman. I inherited my gypsy blood from my mother and she did a good job at keeping it a secret. But somehow my father found out about us." He paused for a brief moment. "My father killed my mother once he discovered our secret and he almost killed me. In order to defend myself, I casted a forbidden spell that killed my father and I was able to escape. It was only a matter of time before all of Kirigakure found out what I had done so I journeyed as far away as I possibly could." He smiled again. "I ended up in Konohagakure where I met Sasuke Uchiha." He shifted his weight to get more comfortable. I decided to do the same. Clearing his voice, he continued the story. "Having no money and being underage, I had nowhere to go and I certainly didn't want to go to an orphanage. I didn't know what kind of people were in this city, so I had to be careful."

"So how did you survive?" I asked. "You had no money, food, or shelter."

"My parents were only farmers so we were very poor. I was used to having no food for days and as for shelter, the roof in my childhood home was falling apart, so I was used to sleeping in bad weather. I got by fine for a few days. But when it got to be too much for me, Sasuke found me and took care of me. He saved me." Haku's smile softened a little. "I knew Sasuke wasn't human as soon as I saw him, which eased me even though he was a blood sucking monster to most people. After what happened in Kirigakure, I felt comfortable around someone who wasn't human." He looked at me. "Sasuke took me to a church that was run down, dirty, and abandoned. At first, I thought he was going to eat me, but he bathed me and fed me instead. I stayed with him for two years before he sent me off on my own. He bought this house we're in for me and everything in it. Sasuke did so much for me. I can't repay him for all that he's done."

It took me a while to say anything. "Why did he save you? When I met him he only seemed interested in blood."

"I believe he had intended on eating me, but he said that he didn't like the way gypsy blood tasted. Not only that, I was the last gypsy so he found me too valuable." He paused and seemed to be recalling something. "When I first met him, I sensed how lonely and bitter he was due to living two-hundred and ninety-five years alone and from being constantly surrounded by death. When he took me in, I saw how that loneliness disappeared. He cared about me and I cared about him." He smiled largely. "You are very lucky to have someone like Sasuke and I can sense how happy you are to be with him."

I smiled back. Haku was an interesting person. Out of all of the creatures I met, I was curious about Haku the most. I never imagined someone could be this insightful and observant. It both frightened me and made me want to learn more about his abilities. But I couldn't be the only one who was curious about what he could do. There must be others. Since he is the last gypsy and also very powerful, there might be a time when someone will try to take him for themselves. If such a thing were to happen, Haku would know about it before it'd happen though.

"We should head to bed, Hinata," Haku said as he stood up.

When he stood, he covered his ears and looked around the room frantically. He turned swiftly and looked so confused and helpless. It occurred to me that he was hearing something. Maybe voices? If so, where were they coming from? Why were they attacking Haku? I stood up to help him somehow, but when I did, Haku removed his hands from his ears and sighed heavily.

"Are you okay?" I asked when I approached him.

"Y-Yes…" he responded as he tried to stand straight. When he was finally able to regain his composure, he hunched over and covered his ears again. He sunk to the floor on his knees, whimpering as he went down. His body was shaking, but not from fear. He appeared to be shaking from pain. But what part of him was in pain? His ears? That's what it looked like to me so I knelt down beside him and gently rested a hand on his small back. However, when I did, he let out a scream and collapsed.

I panicked, but only for a short moment. I had to see if he was alright so I turned him over so that he was lying on his back. I felt for a pulse and sighed in relief when I found it. His pulse wasn't irregular and his respirations were normal. The only thing that caught my attention was his pale skin. He lost some color from whatever he just experienced. What the hell happened?

I could always get the answer to that tomorrow. Right now, I had to get Haku to a room where he could lay down on a bed. Haku may not weigh very much, but I still had trouble carrying him. I felt bad that I ended up having to drag him upstairs to what I suspected was his bedroom. I normally would have gotten Sasuke, but Zabuza might've suspected that Sasuke did something to him. And without Haku awake to explain what really did happen, I doubted Zabuza would've believed me even if I was the one to tell him what really went on.

After laying the gypsy down on his bed, I went to one of the guestrooms that Haku had prepared for us. When my head hit the pillow, I instantly fell asleep. I was awakened the next morning by a loud, deep voice calling out Haku's name. I shot up from the soft bed and ran to Haku's room. I froze when I saw Zabuza gripping Sasuke by the shirt and pulling him off from where he sat on Haku's bed.

"What did you do?!" The water nymph cried as he reached for the large sword attached to his clothes.

"Stop!" I cried. "Sasuke didn't do anything!"

"Shut up!" He yelled.

Zabuza drew his sword after he shoved Sasuke away. When he thrusted it toward Sasuke, Sasuke calmly held his ground. He timed the strike and when it got to where he wanted it to be, Sasuke caught the blade. He glared at the water nymph before he snatched the sword out of Zabuza's hand.

"I didn't do anything," Sasuke said, clearly annoyed. "You water nymphs always jump to conclusions. I found him here like this." My boyfriend turned to me. "What happened to Haku?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "He collapsed last night once we finished talking."

Moments later, the gypsy moaned and slowly sat up. He held onto his head and looked around at his surroundings in confusion. Sasuke moved to heal him, but Haku held up a hand to stop him from doing it.

"It won't work, remember?" Haku said in a whisper. "We tried this before…"

Sasuke dropped Zabuza's sword and sat beside his friend. He rested a hand on Haku's hand which made the boy look up at Sasuke. "Are you hearing the voices again, Haku?" he asked in a gentle voice that I never thought he was capable of. Jealousy gnawed at me when he spoke to him like that. And on top of that, Haku stared at him like he was a god. Seeing them together tore at me. They adored each other. I already knew Haku would do anything for Sasuke, and now I was beginning to think the feeling was mutual for my boyfriend. This shouldn't bother me, but it did terribly. I felt awful about it. Haku still needed Sasuke so I shouldn't be feeling these selfish feelings. There's nothing intimate between them. Sasuke doesn't feel any romantic feelings towards Haku and Haku doesn't feel anything romantic towards Sasuke, right? Yet, why do I feel so uneasy and jealous about their relationship?

"What voices?" Zabuza asked.

"It began happening a few years ago." Haku's gazed was still fixated on my boyfriend, but he turned to Zabuza when he said, "It occurred before I met you."

I tried pushing my jealousy far away, but it came right back. I asked with noticeable an effort of me trying to hide my burning envy, "What do you mean when you say Sasuke can't heal you?"

My lover and the young gypsy exchanged glances with their hands still touching. It annoyed me to see them still in that position. Sasuke must've sensed my emotions or heard my irritated tone because he turned around to meet my eyes and reassured me with his gaze. It eased me a little, but I still wanted them to at least let go of each other's hand.

"Sasuke can't heal me because he's impure." Haku was reluctant to say "impure" and put in a lot of effort to spit the word out. "Vampires are considered impure creatures because they live off of human vitality and they are the walking dead. While gypsies, on the other hand, are pure creatures. We bring life and love wherever we go. I guess you can say vampires are the opposite of gypsies."

"I wish I could do something to help you," Sasuke said. "You've been in pain for a while now."

"I know." Haku reached up and stroked my boyfriend's hair and then placed that hand on Sasuke's face. I found myself biting my bottom lip when I watched him do that. "I'll find out what's going on. I'm close to discovering what's wrong with me. I'm not weak, remember?"

That earned a smile from Sasuke. "Yes. I remember, Haku."

Zabuza interrupted what was going on between Sasuke and Haku. He was obviously uncomfortable when watching them. "Now that we know what happened, I think you should go now," he said.

To Haku's disappointment, Sasuke released Haku's hand and removed the boy's other hand from his face as he stood up. "Yeah. We have to pay Naruto a visit."

I nodded in response. Now it was time to do what I dreaded most about our mission to find this witch. We had to tear Naruto from the only link he had to his late parents.

"Will I see you soon?" Haku asked. He directed the question to both of us but I couldn't help but feel that he really wanted Sasuke to return the most. After witnessing how much Haku adored my boyfriend, I would be coming along whenever Sasuke came back to see him too.

"Yes." Sasuke smiled. "We'll see you soon."

"It was nice meeting you both," I said as we gathered our belongings and left the house to head back to Konohagakure.

The journey back home didn't feel as nearly as long as when we were heading to Haku's house. The same amount of time was consumed, but it felt shorter to get back home somehow. On the way back, we didn't stop to take breaks even though Sasuke asked if I needed any. We also didn't speak much even though the Haku thing was weighing on my mind. I wanted to ask him about it, but not now. The question will have to wait until later when all of this is settled.

Somewhere along the way home, Sasuke walked beside me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and he told me that he loved me. The only explanation for that had to be that he read my thoughts or felt what I felt. It made me feel a little better, but the envy never left. As much as I didn't want to think about it, Haku was a rival.

When twilight hit, Sasuke and I arrived at the church. Both of our mouths dropped when we saw that the lobby's floor was trashed by countless bottles of alcohol. Our eyes then wandered to the loveseat where Deidara sat with his face buried in his hands. He mumbled to himself "Why can't vampires get drunk?"

"Deidara?" Sasuke called. He immediately shot up from the couch. He hadn't heard us coming? That's unusual. His senses were better than Sasuke's. "What the hell is all of this?"

"This?" Deidara extended both of his arms as he asked the question. "An experiment. Apparently vampires can't get intoxicated." He then mumbled to himself, "No matter how much they want to."

"Clean it up. We have someone to see."

My heart leapt from both surprise and relief. "I'm not going with you to see Naruto?"

"No. You're exhausted from the long walk. Go home and get some sleep. Deidara will fill you in tomorrow at school."

I didn't bother to argue. I already wanted to question him to no end about Haku. There was no use in getting angry and then not being able to fall asleep because of how angry I am. Instead I said, "Don't force Naruto to give up the talisman. That talisman is very important to him. His late parents gave it to him and if you take it from him by force I won't be able to forgive you. You and I both know how it feels to lose someone you love and have nothing left to remember them by."

He was silent for a while and I couldn't read his face. He hid his emotions from me well. When he opened his mouth to answer me I didn't expect him to say, "Okay." He frowned, but I knew he understood. "Deidara, let's go."

Not long after they left I went home. I took a much needed shower and washed my hair. Like usual, I didn't dry it and laid down on my bed to go to sleep. I wanted to fall asleep right away, but too many things ran through my mind. Things like Haku, Naruto, the talisman, and the witch. All of them worried me, but I think what Haku said to me last night worried me most of all.

He said that he'd like to tell me more about my family, but he couldn't yet. What more was there to know? My family died in a car crash seven years ago when we were hit by a drunk driver. They're all gone so the only thing that I can think of that he'd want to tell me was the car crash wasn't an accident after all. _If_ it wasn't an accident then… it'd be hard for me, but I'd feel as though I'd have to find that driver who hit us and question him to no end. I'd feel obligated to find out more. I just hope that isn't what Haku wants to tell me and it's just my curious assumption getting the better of me.

After thinking that over, I became sleepy and fell asleep not too long after I finished thinking about Haku's vague words. When I woke up the next morning I was faced by a blonde, pale vampire staring at me with eyes full of wonder. Startled by his entry, I shrieked and backed away. It took me a moment to realize that it was Deidara.

"How the hell did you get in here?!" I asked as I clutched my rapidly beating chest.

"Uh, it's called picking locks," he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Get up. We're going to be late for school and if we're late, I'm not going to tell you about Naruto."

I frowned and furrowed my eyebrows. Once I got Deidara to leave my bedroom, I got dressed in my uniform, brushed my teeth and hair, and met him in the living room. On the way to school, Deidara filled me in on what went on at Naruto's apartment.

"When we got there, Naruto didn't let us inside of his apartment and forced us to talk from outside. When Sasuke mentioned the talisman, Naruto refused to hand it over. Sasuke wanted to pry the talisman from his neck, but he remembered what you told him and didn't."

"Did you tell Naruto why we needed it?" I asked.

"No. We were going to go bother him about it again tomorrow and try to convince him to give it up. We don't want him to know what's going on."

I nodded. Do they really believe that Naruto will hand it over without needing an explanation?

When we got to school, Sakura and Ino gave me hugs and scolded me for not hanging out with them for so long. With all that's been going on, I had completely forgot to at least contact them. Being with them now felt like I hadn't seen them in years. My guess is that they felt the same because we were inseparable, and they filled me in on all of the recent gossip. Truthfully I didn't want to hear it, but I endured it for their sake. Gossip was the only subject that I didn't particularly enjoy discussing when I was with them.

Some things they said caught my attention though. Rumors were spreading through Konoha High like wild fire about one particular subject. The Kazekage of Sunagakure was supposedly going to visit Konohagakure for a few days when the summer vacation starts. I never knew what he looked like because he's not written in our history books, but Ino says he's around our age and very handsome. And since he's been recently crowned Kazekage, Sakura and Ino assumed that he'd be naïve and planned to find him to meet him when he arrived, and they wanted me to come along for the hunt. Most of the rumors that spread through this school are not true so I doubted that the Kazekage of Sunagakure would visit us. I decided to tag along for the hunt because I doubted he'd come.

Also, Naruto looked back at me during our classes a few times when we had classwork to do. To me, it appeared as though he had something that he wanted to say to me, but we never got time alone today for him talk to me. Sakura and Ino had me all to themselves today. Even when the school day ended, my friends wanted me to hang out with them at Sakura's house. I, unfortunately, had to decline. My refusal earned me some complaints so I promised them that I'd spend all of my time with them during vacation. Satisfied, they went to Sakura's house and Deidara met with me outside of Konoha High. To both of our surprise, Naruto also chose to come along.

Deidara didn't dare mention the talisman in front of him and stayed silent during our walk. Even if Deidara didn't want to mention the talisman that normally wouldn't stop him from not speaking. Taking a closer look at his features I noticed that he was paler than yesterday. Much paler. And the dark circles under his eyes were darker and more noticeable. I also took notice to him clutching his stomach quite often. And usually, no matter what he's doing, Deidara is focused and alert to everything around him. Seeing him now, his eyes weren't focused on anything and I sometimes had to called his name more than twice to get his attention. Am I the only one to notice this? Naruto doesn't like vampires, but I know that he'd ask what was wrong with Deidara. Sasuke also never asked about Deidara's unhealthy condition.

"What's wrong?" I asked Deidara.

He exhaled before answering. "Nothing," he said as he looked at me and smiled. When he looked at me, it appeared that he was looking through me and not at me. He was completely unfocused. "I'm just… a little tired. That's all," he breathed.

"Do you need a drink or something?" I asked.

"No, no. I'm fine, Princess." He looked at Naruto who was walking on the other side of me. "Why don't ask your friend why he's suddenly talking to you again?" He whispered in a barely audible voice.

That was a good point. I was a little curious as to why Naruto suddenly decided to stop being mad at me. I turned to him and asked, "How are you feeling, Naruto?"

He exhaled deeply. "I've seen better days." He gave me a wry smile. "What about you? You seem to be busy lately."

"I have also seen better days and I've certainly been busy."

An awkward silence fell between us after that. It seemed that Naruto felt more awkward being with me than I did with him though. He didn't really look at me, his hands were always stuffed in his pockets, and he kept a distance between us as we walked together. Something was weighing on his mind, but I couldn't tell what. I was hoping that he wasn't thinking of when he discovered Sasuke and I had sex. I was soon relieved to find out that he wasn't, but he brought up a topic that I also didn't want to talk about.

"Sasuke and Deidara came to my apartment last night," he said with a frown. "They wanted to know about this." He touched the talisman around his neck. "Sasuke said that he'd take it by force if it weren't for you. I wanted to thank you." He paused. "I also wanted to apologize. It's not my place to interfere with your personal life and I know that you love Sasuke. I just couldn't help myself when I found out what you two did together."

I felt my face get hot. "H-How did you find out?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the ground for a moment. When he looked back up at me he said, "It's a little crazy to say, but I smelled your scent on him. I became enraged. I never got that mad before. It took all of my self-control to stop myself from ripping Sasuke's head off."

I was a little scared to ask "Do… Do you usually get that angry?"

"No." He paused briefly and hesitated to tell me what he wanted to. "It… It happened after my parents died. I can't explain it."

Is it possible that Naruto isn't human? It makes sense. When he went up against Deidara his strength seemed to match his and even Sasuke seemed hesitant to get on Naruto's bad side. I haven't met a creature stronger than a vampire yet, but I'm starting to think that one might've been sitting right under my nose. If Naruto isn't human he doesn't know it. Deidara might know if he's human or not. During all of those centuries of living, there could've been a time when Deidara came across whatever Naruto is.

"So…" I wanted to get off of this mystery creature topic, so I asked softly, "Are we… okay? Are we still friends?"

He stared at me and actually met my eyes for the first time today. My heart leapt, but not from my timid nature that was always brought forth when Naruto looked at me. It leapt in fear because I worried what his answer would be. If he chose to not be my friend I think my heart would crush and it would take a while for me to recover. When he opened his mouth to respond my heart stopped.

"Yeah," he said with his beautiful trademark smile. "We're still friends."

I returned the smile and swallowed hard so I wouldn't end up crying. I was so relieved, but it was short lived.

All three of us stopped walking when we saw a big, black portal-looking thing pop out of nowhere a few feet away from us. I barely noticed that Naruto grabbed onto my arm and tried to pull me behind him. Deidara was alert now and his eyes were wide from shock.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked.

"It's a portal made from strong black magic," Deidara answered. "As long we don't go near it we should be f-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence. The portal began to suck in whatever it could with amazing strength. Things around us like pots, chairs, and plants were consumed by the portal, but none of us were taken by it. At least, Deidara and Naruto weren't taken by it. I appeared to be its target. My feet were lifted from off of the ground and it tried to suck me in. I would've been pulled in immediately if it weren't for Naruto holding onto my arm. I could see him struggling to try to save me from whatever was in the portal. Despite how strong he was, the magic was too strong for him to fight against. He ended up losing his grip on me and I went flying into the unknown world of the magical portal.

It took me a while to regain consciousness. When I woke up I found myself handcuffed to a stone wall. The handcuffs weren't metallic though. They were made out of some kind of black magic. The magic cuffs didn't leave me any extra room to move my hands around. They felt so tight around my wrists that I felt as though my circulation was being cut off. And with my body being suspended from the floor, it only added onto the torment my wrists were feeling.

For now, I had to ignore the pain. I had to figure out where I was. Judging by my surroundings I suspected that I was below ground. There were no windows and the stone room had a musty feel to it. Was I in a basement?

It was dark down here and hard to identify the items in the room. In front of me, I was able to make out a table a couple of feet away from me. On the table sat spices, toxins, and chemicals of some sort jarred in bottles. Not too far from them were bottled eyeballs, lizard tails, snails, toads, bat wings, and other things that I wasn't able to identify. It made me sick looking at them.

Not too far from the table was a cauldron. Something pink was boiling in it and the liquid was spilling out from the large pot. It smelled foul, but not as foul as the corpses hanging from the wall. Some of the corpses looked centuries old and the others looked recent. In the newspaper, there were reports that bodies were missing from their graves. This must be where they ended up. What caught my attention about the corpses the most was there were six racks on the wall but only five bodies hung in the room. That zombie that I met before must be one of the witch's henchmen. Probably her favorite too. The others look like they weren't used very often.

It was too dark to scope out the rest of the room so I just waited for my captor to appear. While I waited I realized that I felt exhausted. It could've been the portal that sucked up my energy so I couldn't fight back. I also realized that, aside from the darkness of the area, my vision was a little blurry and I felt dizzy. I found myself nodding off multiple times as I was suspended from the wall, but I refused to fall asleep. That's probably what the witch wants.

Despite how tired I felt, I was suddenly forced out of my lethargy when I heard a scream. Not too long after the scream I heard a sharp blade slicing through flesh and a heavy thud. I felt sick to my stomach as soon as I heard the blade forcing its way through the flesh and bone. I was very unfamiliar with that sound, but I was certain that that was what it was. I wanted to vomit, but I fought it.

After the awful sound echoed throughout the dungeon-like basement I heard soft footsteps treading down the hall. The person opened the door to the room I was being held captive in. My heart beat spiked as the person got closer and closer to me. Despite my nervousness, I squinted to try to see the face of my captor before my captor reached me. But it took the person to stand in front of me in order for me to see the culprit's face.

The witch was a stunning woman. She had brown hair with long bangs that she parted in a way so that they wouldn't cover her face and she wore it in a clip. She was five foot six and fair skinned. She was beautiful, but her eyes killed some of her supernatural beauty. They were brown, like her hair, but they looked so cold. When I looked into them I felt like I was going to freeze to death. I always knew that evil people possessed cold eyes, and people often said that looking into them felt like looking into death's eyes. People also said that the eyes are a mirror of one's soul. But I never bothered to put much thought into that until now. I felt like if I stared too long at her brown orbs that she'd kill me right there. This witch had no mercy for anyone.

"Sorry for the disturbing scream," she said. Her voice carried no emotion in it. It was cold.

I swallowed hard. "Who are you?"

The woman walked over to the table and began assorting the bottles on it. She gave each bottle a quick glance and then set them down where she wanted them. The witch removed some of the contents in particular bottles and sat the ingredients in the center of the wooden table. She sniffed some of them, picked up more jars, and then added more to her little pile of… things.

"Anko Mitarashi," she answered.

Anko walked across the room and into the darkness. She returned momentarily with an old, dusty book. She sat the large book on the table next to her ingredients and opened the book to the spell that she was preparing the ingredients for. She then gathered the items and walked over to the cauldron. After she dropped an item in the cauldron she stirred the liquid thoroughly. As she did this, Anko didn't bother to check on me periodically. I took that as an opportunity to look at her spell book.

I couldn't read the title of the spell because it was in Latin, but I could read the ingredients required for the spell. It needed five bat wings, one Eye of Newt, three strips of wolfsbane, frog's breath, human hair, and a talisman. She had everything she needed besides the talisman.

"What are you going to do with the talisman?" I asked. I fought my fear, but it was obvious that I was scared. The witch smirked when she heard my voice tremble.

"Destroy all humans?" she said.

My eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Anko finished dropping the ingredients in the cauldron and finished stirring the contents. "Because," she faced me. "You humans are all ignorant fools. You destroy things that you don't understand because you fear it. You shoot first and then ask questions later." She sounded angry now. "I'm terminating our threat. It's what's best for all mythical creatures."

"I've learned to accept you. Others can too."

"Not enough," she said. "Your kind will just experiment on us first because they don't understand. I will not risk it."

"Look at what you're doing!" I shouted. "You'll be killing innocents and children! Don't you care?!"

"_You_ killed our innocents, children, and took our land!" Anko snapped. "Why should I just forgive you?!"

"Anko…"

"Enough!"

Anko was done with talking. Her hatred for humans was too great to see reason. There was no convincing her to change her mind about us. To her, we were the greatest evil in the world. It's sad to think like that. There are more people on earth who would understand her than she thinks. There are even some mythical creatures living in the human world. She won't let me explain though.

"You're annoying," she told me.

Walking over to me, Anko's hand glowed black. It was the same color of the cuffs around my wrists. When her hand glowed, the handcuffs became tighter. My hands stiffened and pain shot through my hands, wrists, and arms. The constriction was too much to bear. I let out a scream and begged her to stop through my screams and tears. She gave me a twisted smile and cocked her head to the side in satisfaction. Anko loved the sound of my screams and she desired to hear more so she tightened the cuffs even more. I screamed louder and threw my head back. Tears rolled down my face.

When Anko was satisfied enough, she loosened the cuffs, but she loosened them a little too much. Her eyes widened in astonishment at her mistake. I didn't look at her for too long and I ignored the excruciating pain shooting through my arms and ran for where I assumed the door was. I reached the door within a matter of seconds, but when I turned the knob to escape, the witch grabbed me by the hair and pulled me back. I yelped when she grabbed my hair and when she slammed me against the wall.

"Are you that eager to find my guillotine?" she asked with a bit of twisted amusement lingering in her cold voice.

I shook my head with wide eyes.

Her hand left my hair and found my neck. I thought she was going to choke me at first, but then I felt her other hand caressing my face. It soon travelled back to my hair and she pulled out a few strands of hair. She patted my face and then left me cringing against the stone wall as she added my hair to the cauldron. She mixed it slowly and kept an eye on me.

After how fast she caught me and how strong she turned out to be, I decided that I wasn't going anywhere. When she slammed me against the wall it injured my back anyway. Anko wanted to kill me and my annoying behavior was only diminishing her patience faster. If I kept quiet, maybe I could stall for a little longer.

I coughed and used my hand to cover my mouth. Pulling my hand away after I finished coughing, I noticed a fair amount of blood on my hand. Where had that come from? My back injury certainly wasn't great enough to make me cough out blood. Has Anko done something to me?

"So you're starting to feel the effects of my spell?" Anko said with satisfaction. "Even though it's not complete without the talisman, it's still pretty strong. If you stay here long enough you'll die within a matter of minutes."

I shot her a glare but it was short lived when I coughed again. The blood slipped through my fingers and landed on the floor. I stared at it for a moment and I was astonished at how much came out. Not long after I coughed, my dizziness returned to me. I staggered and used the wall as support to find a place to sit down. Before I found a place, I tripped over my own feet and fell to the floor. I was too weak to rise and ended up staying there. I was going to die here and my friends would never find me. I'd never be able to hang out with Sakura and Ino, I'd never be able to laugh with Deidara and Naruto again, and I'd never be able to see Sasuke again. It angered me, but I had to accept it. This was going to happen whether I liked it or not.

When I closed my heavy eyes I heard a voice. It was soon followed by a few more voices. I couldn't rise to see who it was. All of my strength was gone and I didn't feel like fighting to look. It turned out that I didn't have to though. Soon after the voices called out in the basement I heard the door open and footsteps. One of the people who entered the room came to me and pulled me into his lap. The familiar voice said something in fluent Latin and suddenly I felt better. I opened my eyes to see who it was. It was Deidara.

"Deidara?" I said. I was uncertain.

"In the flesh," he responded with a mischievous smile.

"Don't do any more damage, Anko!" Another familiar voice said. Sitting up, I saw that it was Sasuke and Naruto was with them. "We have what you need." Sasuke pulled the talisman out from his pocket.

"No!" I shouted. "She's going to destroy humanity!"

My boyfriend didn't listen to me though. He tossed the necklace to the witch without even glancing at me. My heart sank and I stared at Sasuke in disbelief. I felt betrayed. How could he do that? He didn't even hesitate. And on top of that, he didn't look like he cared. Naruto also just stood there without looking at me. His face was unreadable. How could he let Sasuke do that? That talisman was precious to him and he cared about humanity just as much as I did. If not more.

"How?" I asked with a tone so desperate and full of hurt that it startled me. "How could you just do that?!" I wanted to punch Sasuke for the first time. I wanted to punch him, shake him, and demand to know what the hell he was thinking.

I stood up to go over to him, but Deidara grabbed my arm. My eyes widened in question. Deidara too?

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted. Naruto looked at me with wide eyes. He only looked at me for a few seconds before turning back to the witch. That was the first time that I cursed in front of him. He was probably shocked. I wanted to curse more, but the witch dropping the talisman into the cauldron caught my attention.

Anko stirred the cauldron with a scary smile on her face. She chanted something in Latin. As she said each word, the bubbling liquid in the cauldron thickened, the liquid in the cauldron overflowed, and smoke rose from the contents in the pink liquid.

Anko cackled like a witch into the air. "After all of these years!" she shouted with what seemed like excitement. "A new world will be born!"

My anger spiked even higher when I saw Naruto and Sasuke exchange smirks. What the hell are they so happy about? Humanity is going end. People that we know are going to no longer exist. _I_ will no longer exist. I thought that they cared about me. But I soon found out why they made those satisfied expressions.

The witch's cackling died when the smoke disappeared and the cauldron ran cold. The contents inside of it stopped bubbling and the active liquid settled down and turned still inside of the cauldron.

"What did-" Anko said in a panic. Her panic turned to anger. "A fake?!"

"Keep yelling and you'll lose your voice," Deidara said with a smile.

"Shut up! I'll kill you all!"

"You're not listening, lady."

Annoyed, Anko's hands glowed black. Using the power of her psychokinetic abilities, Anko lifted the vials from the shelves and tossed them at Deidara. Deidara pushed me out of the way and dodged each vial with ease. When the vials hit the floor, the concoctions inside turned into some kind of gas. It looked toxic and I prayed that Deidara didn't get hit with one.

When Anko ran out of vials to throw Deidara laughed. "Is that all you can do?" he asked. "Surely you aren't that untalented. You can't even-"

His speech fell short. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he was beginning to fall backwards. I got to him just in time before his head hit the hard floor. In my lap, the color was gone from his skin, his hair became dull, and his lips were dangerously chapped. I tried gently shaking him and tapping his face, but he wouldn't come to.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke said.

"One down," the witch smiled, "two to go."

I was shocked a lot today. Naruto suddenly forgave me, I thought Sasuke, Naruto, and Deidara were throwing humanity away when they actually weren't, and our strongest vampire collapsed from an unknown cause. But none of that compared to the shock I felt when I saw Naruto get pissed. And when I say pissed, I mean the kind of pissed that made people want to run away, go for cover, and cower in fear. Not many people could bring that about, but Naruto Uzumaki sure could.

My eyes widened as I watched him transform. I drank in every change to his body and features. It was unbelievable. It felt like a bad dream when I saw his once ocean blue eyes turn into a crimson red. The crimson color pulled me into their gruesome trap. In the trap was a sea of blood that belonged to many others before my time. His eyes were animalistic and they only aimed for one target. The enemy. But by the way he looked around the room; it appeared to me that everyone was his enemy. He just wanted to get rid of the biggest threat in the room before he moved onto the weaker ones.

The whisker-like scars that Naruto obtained the night his parents died thickened like actual whiskers. His gorgeous, straight teeth transformed too. Naruto's canines became larger in size, became sharper, and hung out of his mouth. His nails on his hands grew longer and sharp like claws. His hair also grew slightly longer and it was wild like a beast's unruly fur.

Aside from his appearance, the demonic presence he carried sounded throughout the room. It suffocated us all as all of our eyes widened and our mouths dropped in astonishment. Our eyes widened, if possible, even more when the beast roared into the air, breaking everything made of glass and cracking the metallic cauldron. After the monstrous roar, Naruto crouched like an animal about to pounce on its prey. In a heartbeat, Naruto leapt at Anko.

Naruto's long nails slashed at Anko and she dodged each attack gracefully, but it was obvious that she was having trouble getting away. When Naruto clawed at the witch, they made the same sound as a razor sharp blade slicing through air. If he actually hit her one of Anko's limbs could be cut clean off. She knew this and after she lost her rhythm she created a shield out of black magic to protect herself. Naruto mercilessly slashed at the shield with eyes full of bloodlust. Anko looked bewildered and frightened under the demon boy. She was running out of options. The witch didn't want to risk going on the offense, but she had to in order to survive.

The shield grew razor sharp spikes and it pierced through Naruto's flesh. Some drove right through his skin and bone. Anko was able to get away from the injured Naruto, but only for a moment. She expected that he'd died from the hemorrhaging wounds she gave him, but she was wrong. The wounds began to heal on their own. Naruto was back in the game before Anko got the chance to come up with another plan.

With demon-like speed, Naruto rush towards the witch with his fist clenched tightly. He drew the fist back and then extended it when he approached the frightened Anko. When his fist made contact with her face, her body flew across the room. She flew towards the wall head first, but before she reached her demise, Naruto grabbed a hold of her wrist. He yanked her towards himself, grabbed her face with his other hand, and then slammed her body onto the stone floor. As her head made contact with floor, fragments of stone shot up and I heard cracking sounds. Naruto released her, but continued to hover over her motionless body.

My mouth continued to hang open. I couldn't look away no matter how hard I tried. How could this be Naruto? My Naruto? Naruto wasn't like this. He was one of the kindest people that I knew. He couldn't become this enraged. He couldn't be so merciless. And he couldn't kill. He couldn't. He just couldn't. The boy I knew couldn't do any of those things. Right?

Deidara stirring in my arms brought me back to reality. I looked down at him with the tears that weld up in my eyes when Naruto attacked Anko. I bet I still looked bewildered, but Deidara didn't notice. He was trying to say something. He needed something. I leaned closer to my friend so I could hear what he needed.

"B-Blood…" It was barely audible, but I was able to figure out what he said.

I presented my wrist to him. "Here," I offered.

He sunk his teeth into my flesh. I flinched from the pain, but it was brief. I looked down at my sickly friend to see that he only took a little.

"You need more blood," I told him.

"And you need more iron," he retorted.

"Deidara!" I scolded.

He rolled his eyes. He slid his hand through my hair and when the hand rested at the back of my head, he brought me down so that I was closer to him. With his other hand, he moved my hair out of his way, sank his teeth into my neck, and began to drink. I flinched from the pain and tried not to let out any sounds. This hurt more than biting into the wrist.

He drank more from my neck than he did from my wrist. And when he finished he rested his hands on his stomach as he lay back down on my lap. He looked healthier now, but still weak. When I saw his appearance, I realized that he was in that condition because he wasn't feeding. I became angry.

"Why haven't you been eating?" I asked.

He didn't respond at first. It took him a while to answer my question and I was about to ask again when he finally opened his mouth. "I didn't want to eat because you hate it when vampires feed. They take away a life to save their own."

"But you have to eat!" I scolded. "You need blood to survive. Why would you care about how I feel about what you eat?"

He fixed me with a gaze that I couldn't identify. Like Naruto and Sasuke earlier, I couldn't read Deidara's expression. What was he thinking? What was going through his head as he searched for an answer to give me? He was a fool if he thought he could trick me with a lie. If he planned to lie to me I wasn't going to fall for it.

"I care because…" He swallowed hard and shame clouded his beautiful face when he looked at Sasuke, who was still focused on the battle. He then turned back to me. "Because I've fallen in love with you, Hinata."

My eyes widened and I nearly dropped him. But before I did, my attention was taking away from Deidara when a sound near Naruto and Sasuke captured my attention.

Anko was getting up. How could she still be alive after all of that? Her face was bloody and cut up pretty badly. She also struggled to stand up. That was Naruto's chance to attack her again, but he didn't. He just stood there hunched over her with his arms dangling. And his animalistic gaze was now a spaced out daze. Anko must've done something to him while she was on the ground. While she was pretending to be unconscious, she probably casted a spell.

Sasuke realized immediately and sprang into action. He performed a perfect roundhouse kick, but Anko caught his ankle and shoved him away. Sasuke staggered for only a moment and went back at Anko. He attacked her with blindingly fast punches. The punches were followed by couple of powerful kicks. The perfectly executed attacks would've been proven successful only if Anko hadn't blocked each one.

With the power of telekinesis, the witch picked Sasuke up and slammed him against the wall behind him. She made sure that she had him pinned securely when the dark witch approached my boyfriend with her arms extended. She gave him a twisted smile when her hands glowed black. Nothing happened at first, but then Sasuke soon cried out. Something invisible was clawing at him. It ripped his clothing and drew massive amounts of blood.

I stood up and prepared myself to jump into the fight, but Deidara grabbed my wrist and said, "Watch."

Sasuke's eyes turned blood red as he let out his suppressed rage. With a struggle, Sasuke pried himself from Anko's telekinetic hold. When Sasuke was freed from her hold the wounds that were being inflicted upon him ceased. In seconds, Sasuke's wounds healed and he was back on Anko again.

She casted quick spells in Latin. Black magic attacked Sasuke but he dodged each spell with his incredible speed. Anko tried everything she could possibly muster, but everything proved useless against him. She began to panic and attempted to escape, but my boyfriend's speed completely outmatched hers. In an instant, Sasuke appeared in front of her with eyes full of rage and hate. I could tell that if he got a hold of her he'd sink his teeth into her neck and rip out her jugular.

Fear consumed her as she stared at death. She attempted to run again, but Naruto came to and blocked her path. He was just as enraged as Sasuke but he wasn't going to let her go either. Anko had to fight back if she wanted to survive. So that's what she did.

Mitarashi aimed for the weakest out of the two. Sasuke. She performed a high kick that he easily dodged by ducking. That attacked followed by her elbowing Naruto in the chin. He hadn't expected her to do that and he let out a roar that made the room shake. He scratched at the witch but she suddenly disappeared into thin air. Naruto ended up scratching Sasuke's face instead and he yelped from the pain. He staggered, but regained his balance when the accidental injury healed.

"Where'd she go?" I asked.

"Not sure," Deidara said as he stood up and walked around the room. "Her presence is gone."

I caught a glimpse of something move in my periphery. I turned to face whatever it was and I saw Anko charging at me. I reacted too late and I couldn't get away. With a blade she forged out of black magic, the witch stabbed me in the chest. My blood spattered on her face and the floor. I coughed out blood and it landed on her hands. I stared at her in disbelief as the burning pain spread throughout my chest. She smiled, drove her blade in farther, twisted her blade, and then roughly pulled it out of my body. My shaking hand reached up to touch the fatal wound as I clumsily staggered backwards. I looked around the room at all of the faces who also stared back at me. We all shared the same expressions. Shock. Disbelief. Astonishment.

I removed my shaking hand from my wound and looked at it. There was blood on it. My blood. And there was so much of it. My legs gave way soon after I saw my blood and I landed on my knees. It was suddenly hard for me to breathe as I coughed out more of my blood. _"This isn't happening…"_ I thought to myself. I kept repeating the statement over and over in my head as my vision faded and my body hit the floor.


	8. Kidnapped

When I woke up, I expected to be dead. I thought that I had moved on and ended up in the world of the dead. The wound that I received was fatal and there could've been no way that I survived. Except that I did. I wasn't in pain, I realized, and I was in a familiar place. A place that I never enjoyed visiting. I was in Konoha High's infirmary.

The white ceiling stared down at me. My exhausted body lay down on a white bed wrapped up in white blankets that smelled like lavender. The scent made me sick as I crinkled my nose in disgust. Looking around at my familiar surroundings, I discovered that I was concealed by green curtains for privacy. It was a small space, but the curtains were opened up slightly. And when I looked through the space I was able to see Kakashi sensei sitting at his desk. I expected him to be filling out paperwork like he often did, but I found him talking to someone instead.

When I woke up I was unintentionally eavesdropping in on a conversation between Kakashi sensei and… Deidara? What were they talking about? When I said that I hated the nurse, my hatred didn't even compare to Deidara's disdain. He never bothered going inside of the infirmary and hated hearing Kakashi sensei's name whenever the girls in class would mention how sexy he was. And when the occasional height and weight requirements arrived Deidara skipped it. He refused to go anywhere near the nurse.

"Why not just take her to a hospital?" Kakashi asked coolly.

When Deidara spoke great disdain carried in his voice. "Because we couldn't risk the hospital asking questions. You already know about us so why not bring her here?"

"I'm surprised you trusted me enough." Amusement sounded in his voice.

"She needed a doctor immediately. We were desperate."

"Can't Sasuke Uchiha heal?"

Deidara bit his lip. "The wound was too deep. He wasn't able to heal the entire injury."

Was it that bad? Sasuke was the best healer I knew… Well, he was good at healing mental injuries anyway. I've never seen him repair physical injuries. The only major injury he healed on me was a massive headache with a side of vertigo caused by Deidara.

"And yet you still brought her here?" Kakashi let out a brief, humorless laugh. "She knows too much. I could kill her you know?"

Deidara growled. "I'd kill you before that would happen."

"Do you honestly think you can?" He was challenging Deidara. "I'm a _slayer_, Deidara. No matter how powerful you think you are, _we_ will always be stronger."

Deidara bit his lip and tsked.

There was that word again. _Slayer_. What was that exactly? Kurenai sensei was a _slayer_ that attacked Sasuke a few months back. Sasuke never bothered to tell me what they were, but I wanted to know. All I know so far is that they slay vampires, and now I discovered that they are stronger than vampires. How does that explain how fast Sasuke killed Kurenai though? If a _slayer_ is naturally stronger than a vampire, how did Sasuke take her down so quickly and effortlessly?

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard a chair scrape across the tiled floor. My heart stopped when I feared that they found out that I was awake and listening. But my fear subsided when I noticed Deidara stroll angrily over to Kakashi's desk. He began to search through his messy piles of paperwork. My friend angrily searched through the pile with frustration and impatience. He only looked through them for a few seconds before he smacked the large pile of papers off of the desk.

"What are you planning?" Deidara demanded furiously.

Kakashi was calm and remained completely unfazed when Deidara got in his face. His collected demeanor both annoyed me and worried me at the same time. _Slayers_ are naturally stronger than vampires. Just watching him sit there unflinchingly looking up at my angry friend freaked me out. I'd be begging for my life with a bloodthirsty vampire in my face. Especially if it was Deidara. He didn't show me all of his tricks, but I figured that he had a lot of amazing ones to share. He owned vampiric strength and he chanted incantations in fluent Latin like a witch. It made me wonder if he was more than _just_ a vampire.

"_I_ am not planning anything," Kakashi sensei responded coolly.

"Fine." My friend clenched his jaw. "What is Tsunade planning? She's the head _slayer_ in this city, right? What's going on?"

"Take that up with her."

Deidara released a humorless laugh. "You're so annoying. It's taking everything I got to _not_ kill you."

"Like you could." Kakashi kept challenging him. Was he intentionally trying to enrage him?

"I could. All of your bullshit of saying that _slayers_ are naturally stronger than vampires is just a bluff. I've killed _slayers_ in my time."

"And how many did you actually kill? Hmm? Out of all of your nine-hundred and fifty years of 'living', how many did you kill? One? Two? Five maybe?"

Deidara backed away. He was pissed off and was trying hard to get rid of the anger that just accumulated. Do all _slayers_ know how to get to their prey? And how did Kakashi know how old Deidara was? I didn't even know. Was that also a _slayer_ thing? I continued to listen to more so I could find out more about _slayers_, but the subject changed to something that was entirely irrelevant to what they were originally discussing.

"Hinata Hyuga…" Kakashi began. He said my name like it was some kind of mystical, unsolved wonder. "You've taken a liking to her. So has Naruto Uzumaki, the kitsune, and Sasuke Uchiha, the vampire. _Slayers_ are taught when we're young that vampires are evil and you have no affectionate emotions. But when I saw you and Sasuke bring her in here, I thought otherwise for a moment."

"Shut up. Don't even say her name." I heard the chair slide across the floor again when Deidara was out of my sight. I figured that he sat down again.

"You love her. Maybe even more than Kana. That's pretty dangerous. Well, for her anyway." My eyes widened. He knows who Kana is? Am I the only one who doesn't know anything about her? "Even though she's with the younger vampire, your 'friend', will you try to steal her away?"

A silence filled the infirmary that brought tension storming along with it. Even though I couldn't see Deidara I somehow knew that he was sitting in the chair slouching with his arms tightly crossed over his chest as he gave Kakashi his most terrifying glare. Kakashi sat there unfazed by his expression and waited patiently for an answer that my friend was reluctant to give his enemy.

Then I heard Deidara inhale and then deeply exhale. "Possibly," he said. This got a reaction out of the nurse. He was amused. But the short lived amusement faltered when Deidara said, "But I'm happy to see her happy. If I took her away from the youngster then she'd never forgive me. As pitiful as it sounds, I wouldn't be able to bear the person that I love hating me. If she were meant to be mine then she'd be with me by now. If not now then later. I'll wait for her. I love her."

Sensei wasn't expecting an answer like that. When he questioned what he was taught as a young boy, as a _slayer_, he was reflecting on all of his lessons he learned when he saw Deidara and Sasuke bring me in here. He wanted to confirm his doubt. Vampires didn't have affectionate emotions. That was wrong. I knew that first hand. And now Kakashi was beginning to think that as well. The answer he received would take a while to sink in though. After being told most of your childhood that vampires were cold-hearted monsters I'd also take a while to see them in a different light.

Kakashi was thinking of whether to believe creatures of the night were evil or not. He looked confused and he left the room still pondering on Deidara's words and actions. It relieved me. Not because he left the room. I was relieved because he was starting to see what others didn't. If Kakashi, a _slayer_, could change his view on vampires then maybe others could too. Instead of being an enemy to vampires, maybe they could be allies. With a little effort, maybe they could-

The curtain that was concealing me shot open with a swift force. I gasped and nearly fell off of the lavender scented bed when I saw who opened the curtains. Deidara. Of course. This was his second time in less than twenty-four hours scaring the crap out of me.

"It's not polite to eavesdrop, Princess," he said. He sat beside me on the bed and stared at me with concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I responded as I cleared my throat. He wasn't sorry that he scared me. He actually looked amused and pleased with himself.

"That quack doctor didn't do anything weird did he? I don't trust him."

"I… I don't think so. I doubt that he would try to pull anything with you here." Sasuke didn't provide me with information on the mysterious _slayers_, but maybe Deidara would. "Deidara? What's a _slayer_?"

He ran his fingers through his long hair and sighed. "Wouldn't you rather want to know about what happened after you collapsed? Most people would ask that question instead of something that made them curious."

I frowned. He changed the subject immediately. He wasn't going to tell me. Why not? I ought to know, right? This is another situation that I'm involved in. I need to know these things.

"Fine," I said, crossing my arms. "What happened? What happened to Anko? What happened to Sasuke? What happened to Naruto?" Despite how annoyed I was, I shivered when I recalled how Naruto transformed.

"Well, after you collapsed, Naruto and Sasuke went ballistic on Anko. Normally Sasuke would've healed you right away, but he wasn't in his right state of mind due to how enraged he was. He underwent something we call vampire rage. And Naruto's transformation… evolved. His claws grew even longer and the room was pressurized by the demonic aura he was emitting. As soon as Naruto evolved Anko was done for. I would've jumped into the battle, but I was still charging up on your blood. Before I got to get in the fight they ripped her body in half."

I'm kind of glad that I didn't see the end of the battle. I would've had nightmares for weeks. Maybe even months. "How… How did they… How did their anger defuse? Are they okay?" That was the first question that came to mind, but there was so much more that I wanted to ask. Like why couldn't Sasuke heal me, what was a kitsune, I wanted to know more about Kakashi and why Kurenai was an easy kill compared to the other _slayers_, and question Deidara about his confession.

"Yeah. When the battle ended they went back to normal. Good thing too. I could take on Sasuke, but Naruto is in a whole other league."

I frowned. He was acting so calm while I was so uneasy about what went on while I was out. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, I saw right through his façade though. He was a little shaken. Is that why he was here with me and not Naruto or Sasuke? Was he afraid to be alone with them and afraid to leave them with me? Naruto, I could understand. He was much stronger than Deidara and Sasuke combined. And he proved that. But Sasuke? Why? Couldn't Deidara do the same thing Sasuke could? That rage _is_ a vampire thing, isn't it? Maybe Deidara couldn't do the same thing Sasuke did after all because he's not just a vampire. I decided to ask that question since I just now remembered that I wanted to ask him.

"Deidara?" I asked. "You _are_ a vampire, right?"

He looked at me like I was an idiot. Maybe I should rephrase that.

"Are you a full vampire?" I asked again.

A large smile grew on his beautiful face that exposed his sharp fangs. He appeared to be impressed by my observation. He was waiting for someone to mention it, like Sasuke or maybe even Naruto, but he didn't expect me to find out first.

He said, "Princess, you amaze me." He got up from the bed. "Let's go back to the church. Sasuke's probably worried about you."

I nodded and gave him a slight smile. I was just as hesitant to go back to the church as Deidara was. I couldn't imagine how Naruto and Sasuke would react to my recovery. But overall, I couldn't imagine them acting like their normal selves after what I just witnessed. I was still frightened, but not as much as when I first saw them enraged. I just had to keep reminding myself that they were still the same people that I knew. They'd never hurt me. Deidara should tell himself that too.

Deidara opened the door for me when we arrived at the church. My boyfriend and blonde friend stood in the center of the lobby waiting for us to return. As soon as I got inside Sasuke rushed up to me and pulled me into a tight embrace. His lips brushed against mine when he loosened his embrace's hold. Looking into his eyes, I suddenly felt a little guilty for thinking he'd be any different from the Sasuke I knew. His dark orbs stared down at me with so much love and worry that I felt even more guilty the longer I looked into them.

"I'm so happy that you're okay," he breathed as he pulled me into another embrace. He couldn't stop looking at me no matter how hard he tried.

I smiled at his words. I stroked his hair and then rested a hand on his warm face after caressing his cheek. "I missed you." We kissed again. It took the sounds of discomfort around us for us remember that we weren't alone. In that brief moment it felt like it was just the two of us. And when Deidara clearing his throat brought us back to reality, my face became hot from embarrassment. Sasuke looked a little embarrassed too. For a moment he wasn't his trademark, austere self. He let the others see a side of him that he preferred that they'd never see.

Once Sasuke finished greeting me Naruto slowly approached me with his hands stuffed into his pockets. His eyes, no longer crimson, showed me how worried he was about me and how worried he felt as he assumed that I wouldn't look at him the same. After witnessing the shocking transformation that he underwent, he feared that I wouldn't view him as the same person I did before.

He didn't come up to me. He only took a few awkward steps towards me and stopped halfway. I had to be the one to tell him that I was okay with him. He was still my friend. That he wasn't a monster even though he thought he was. So what did I do? I hugged him. When I wrapped my arms around him I felt his body stiffen. He hadn't expected me to do that. Then, slowly, he brought his arms up around my body. It took him a while, but seconds into the hug, I felt him wrap his arms around me tighter. And I felt him smile against my shoulder as he rested his head on me. If he was going to cry I was probably going to too.

Our hug was interrupted by my cell phone vibrating in my back pocket. I broke from him and pulled it out to take a look at who was calling me. I thought that it'd be Sakura or Ino, but it was a number that I'd never seen before. It wasn't a phone number from Konohagakure. It was a call from Kirigakure. This person must have the wrong number so I answered the call.

"Hello?" I said, taking a step away from Naruto.

At first I heard nothing. Just static. Then I heard someone breathing. It sounded like someone gasping for air. It was hard to make out the words when the person on the other end started to speak, but I was able to piece them together.

The man said, "Haku… Haku is in… trouble…" He coughed a few times. After the coughing he continued. "Please come… quick…" The line went dead.

"Who was it?" Naruto asked.

"I think it was Zabuza," I said, turning to Sasuke. His eyes widened. "He said that Haku's in trouble and that we should come quick. I think Zabuza's been injured."

The fierceness in Sasuke's eyes told us all that he was ready to jump into action. He was willing to go alone if he had to, but the three of us wouldn't allow it. All four of us were going to meet Zabuza to help out in whatever way we could. So we all left the church immediately and headed towards Haku's house on the outskirts of Konohagakure.

Usually it took slightly over twelve hours to get to the house, but with three supernatural creatures rushing to the location, it only took us about two hours. Since it was humanly impossible to run as fast as two vampires and a kitsune, Deidara ended up carrying me on his back. Sasuke would've done it, but I didn't want to ask. He was so eager to find out what happened to Haku that I didn't want to burden him with my weight on his back (literally and figuratively). Also, jealousy was burning through me again. I know that this wasn't the time to be feeling jealous, but I couldn't help it. Every time I thought about Sasuke seeing the young gypsy my heart was clouded with envy.

Sasuke was the first one through the doors of the house. My mouth dropped when I came through. Everything was a mess. The wallpaper was coming off of the walls and the wooden walls hidden behind the wallpaper was destroyed by what seemed like a blade cutting through it. Some parts of the floor were also soaked in water. Those must've been the work of Zabuza. He was a water nymph after all, and the cuts on the walls looked like the doing of his gigantic sword.

The rest of the small home, however, was _not_ the work of Zabuza trying to protect the gypsy. Furniture was broken in half and some were broken into small parts. But they weren't broken with a blade. The ends where the furniture was destroyed weren't clean cuts, they were rigid. They were taken apart by force. Like someone snapping them apart with their bare hands.

Another part of the house was completely covered in ice. Thick layers of ice let off waves of fog from the kitchen that led towards the living area. Was this done by Haku? I recalled that he said that he used a forbidden spell to defend himself from his father when he was young. Was this the spell?

We all walked past the ice with our mouths dropped in awe. But we all came to an abrupt stop when we saw Zabuza lying on the floor with his sword in his hand. Sasuke rushed to Zabuza's side before any of us recovered from the shock we were undergoing. The house was a mess and the bodyguard that belonged to the last gypsy was unconscious on the floor bleeding profusely. Even though Naruto and Deidara never met Zabuza, they were surprised at how such a formidable looking warrior was taken down so brutally.

Sasuke knelt beside the water nymph, turned him on his back, and began to heal him. The healing process took longer than usual and Sasuke was putting in a little more effort than he usually had to, to the finishing the process. He stopped temporarily when Zabuza began to stir underneath his hands.

Unlike before when the water nymph first saw Sasuke, he felt great disdain for him. He wanted him out of his house as soon as he laid eyes on him. Now he looked relieved to see the vampire here.

With a trembling hand, Zabuza placed his larger hand on Sasuke's slightly smaller one. "Please…" he begged with a voice that was barely audible. "You have to save Haku."

"Where is he?" my boyfriend asked frantically.

"A vampire… A vampire took him. I don't know where… they went."

I knelt beside the water nymph too, but opposite of Sasuke, and asked, "Do you know what the vampire looked like?"

He stayed silent to gather his thoughts. Once a few moments passed he said, "I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, but…" He put more thought into what he was going to say next. "The monster had blonde hair and it seemed to be fixated on getting to Haku. It was odd. It's goal wasn't to kill him."

Sasuke and I exchange glances. That was definitely odd. What kind of vampire broke into a home on the outskirts of a large city full of people just to kidnap a boy? And then _not_ eat him? No one had the answer to that.

"Thank you, Zabuza," Sasuke said. "I'll take it from here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Deidara said, rushing over to Sasuke to place a hand on his shoulder as he was beginning to rise from the floor. "You should stay here. This guy needs all of the healing he can get. And by the progress you're making I'd say that it'd take a while." Deidara continued to speak after my boyfriend furrowed his eyebrows. "Stay here to heal the nymph. Naruto will stay with you just in case anyone else decides to drop by uninvited. Hinata and I will find the boy. Okay?"

Sasuke removed the blonde vampire's hand from his shoulder. "It's dangerous out there," he said. "Hinata should stay here."

"Aw, come on!" Deidara protested. He threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me forcibly closer to his warm body. I staggered by the powerful and unexpected force. "Hinata and I are a dynamic pair. No one can take us down. Right, Hinata?"

I didn't respond. Sasuke was glaring at Deidara. He was already bothered by us bonding now he was troubled by the touching. He was catching onto the older vampire's more-than-needed affection for me. Sasuke was jealous and wanted nothing more than for he and I to go find the gypsy, but he couldn't reason in this situation. Zabuza needed as much medical attention as he could get. Forcing Deidara to stay here with Naruto would be selfish and the wrong thing to do.

Defeated, his response to it was just a wave of his hand telling us to go. He then began to heal the water nymph again. And as Deidara tugged me out of the house I glanced back at Sasuke who was occupied in saving Zabuza. I had the feeling he knew that I was looking at him. He just chose to ignore me. It angered me. I had no choice in the matter. This was all Deidara's doing. Not only that, this formation was the best that we could do.

Outside of the small house, we came to an abrupt stop. Deidara released my arm and began to… sniff the air. Another new thing. He was tracking down the gypsy by trying to get a hold on his scent. This definitely wasn't a vampire thing or a witch thing. Honestly, I had no clue what to make of this new ability. No creature came to mind that had the nose of a dog. A werewolf maybe, but that seemed unlikely. In folklore everywhere, werewolves were known to transform on full moons, and I'd been around Deidara long enough to prove that he wasn't a werewolf… Then again, all vampires were assumed to be cold-blooded. Maybe the werewolf theory wasn't true either.

"Got him," Deidara said, pulling me out of my thoughts. He was doing that more and more often as of late. And I was beginning to think he was doing it on purpose since creatures of the night can read minds. "It's about two miles east from here. Let's roll, Princess."

I merely nodded and climbed onto his back. I hated doing this. Piggyback rides were weird. As a child I never received a piggyback ride. My cousin, Neji, might've given me one, but being only one year older than me, our similar height and weight made it impossible. Unless, we were purposely looking to injure ourselves to get out of going to school for a day, which Neji did once.

With Deidara's incredible speed, we were rapidly approaching the location where Haku was being held captive. From a distance, I couldn't make out the vampire's lair. When we got closer it turned out to be a cave. My eyes narrowed in annoyance as I thought of old scary movies and ancient novels where the antagonist held the maiden in distress captive in a cave to lure the protagonist to his demise. Unfortunately it was a school requirement in Konohagakure to read a novel with a conflict like this and the layout of the caves were always the same.

The caves were usually intertwined with a bunch of twists and turns that only delayed the main character from finding the maiden (it also made the story longer than any of us would have liked). It usually ended with the protagonist fighting his final battle with the antagonist. The protagonist wins, of course, and then saves his maiden. They get married and you know the rest. Stories like this are popular with the elderly in Konohagakure.

When we entered the cave, however, the layout was completely different from what I expected. In some ways this was a relief from not wanting to relive the fictional novels that we were forced to endure. And in others it was a disappointment. After reading so many of those boring books I figured that I could've been of some use to locate Haku. This confusing layout was nowhere near what the novels held.

The farther we went into the cave the more it transformed into a dungeon type. The walls and floors were tiled in some kind of stoned material. Our only source of light was the medieval candles lodged high on the walls. The light was dim and they were placed far apart so it was hard for me see. But it was fine for Deidara. With his supernatural sight, he could walk around here as if was daytime. I was bit envious, but I'd never admit it to him. It'd only boost his pride.

"Can you sense him?" I asked.

My friend stood beside me and looked thoroughly down each hallway in the forked corridor. "No. I can't. It's like something's blocking my nose."

"Then what do you think we-"

My speech was abruptly stopped and suddenly I wasn't looking at Deidara near the beginning of the cave. I was seeing something else in a body other than my own. I didn't become this person. I was merely seeing what this person was seeing. It didn't feel weird. But it certainly was unusual.

The person warily looked around at their surroundings while lying down on something hard and cold. In the process of doing so, I couldn't help but notice that the person was scanning the room slowly and thoroughly. Whoever pulled me into this… mind-sharing experience wanted me to drink in everything. To study everything in the small room in hopes of that I'd be able to help them.

Once the mystery person finished showing me the room, something told me that this person was weak. Physically weak. Lethargic even. What happened? Raising their trembling hands, I saw what the problem was. Bite marks were looming all over the arms. They travelled from the wrists all the way up to the shoulders. Since there was no more room to drink from on the arms I wondered if there were any lacerations on the neck too. It was disgusting to look at the arms as I noticed red and purple rings around the injuries. I could only imagine the neck.

Suddenly fear shot through the helpless person when the door opened. Even though the person had a strong urge to look away they didn't. The victim focused on the hallway behind the kidnapper. I noticed that in the hallway there was a door that sat across from the room the person was in. This door was a vibrant red unlike the other doors residing in the lair. The other doors were a dull brown. I was hoping that that was the only door in this place that was red. If not, we were in for some trouble.

The kidnapper approached the frightened victim with a smirk on their face. The victim's heart raced and I felt their eyes widened when the kidnapper got closer and closer. The vulnerable person didn't look away so I could see the face of whoever held them there. It was futile though. The kidnapper wore a long, heavy cloak with the hood covering all of the person's facial features with exception of the mouth.

With a trembling voice that spoke in a whisper. The victim asked, "Why are you doing this?" I immediately recognized the voice. It was Haku. Haku was using some kind of gypsy spell that let me see what he was experiencing.

"Just for tonight," the kidnapper said. It was a woman.

The woman gently touched a part on Haku's neck. The gypsy shivered at her ice cold touch and subconsciously moved away from her fingers. "What are you talking about?" He raised his voice. Even though he was frightened he raised his voice. This relieved me a little. That was a sign that he still had fight left in him.

"You belong to me tonight…" Her voice trailed only for a second before she spoke again. "This world is becoming corrupted. I need something pure. Just for tonight."

It sounded like she was insane. Talking in vague sentences only made her seem more crazy. Haku seemed to understand what she was talking about though. Too bad he couldn't send me mental messages. That'd be really helpful.

Haku opened his mouth to say more, but the woman sunk her teeth into his neck. He winced from the pain but his weakened state prevented him from getting away. He lay there forcing his delicate body to endure the pain. I felt the familiar pain through him and wished that I could be in his place receiving the new lacerations instead of him.

She was slowly draining the life out of him. And judging by how many lacerations there were on his body, the woman kept coming back for more. It was like she was addicted to his blood and was trying to save as much of it as she possibly could by taking small amounts. If she keeps this up he'll expire no matter what her methods were for saving food.

The experience we were sharing ended. Haku had passed out. When I returned to my body I was faced with a very concerned Deidara. His warm hands rested on my shoulders. Our faces were inches apart.

"Oh, thank God," he sighed as I came to. His head dropped with his hands still on me. He must've been trying to snap me out of Haku's psychic hold for a while. He looked frustrated and, like I said, concerned.

"It's alright," I said. "It was Haku. He was showing me where he was."

"He should think about warning someone next time then." He took his hands off of me and turned to one of the corridors. "Which one, Princess?"

"I don't…" An image of directions went as quickly as it came to me. Haku was showing me the way. "The right one."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded confidently. He trusted me and we decided that he'll lead the way. I directed him where to go as I received more instructions. We walked through so many twists and turns that I feared that we wouldn't be able to find our way out. Deidara's sense of smell was being blocked here so sniffing our way out was not going to be an option. Maybe after all of those years of living, Deidara obtained a good sense of direction or a good memory. In case things got out of control we were going to need to leave quickly. No one could rely on my sense of direction so I was relying on Deidara or Haku to lead us out.

About five minutes of searching for the room the gypsy was in we finally found it. Haku stopped informing us a few paces before we reached the door though. But from there I was able to tell Deidara where to go. Fortunately this was the hallway that Haku showed me and my heart pounded in my chest from both fear and anticipation when we reached our destination. My blonde friend, however, was more than ready to twist the doorknob and enter the room. Even though my feet weren't ready to carry me into the room I followed my friend anyway. To his amusement, I was holding on to his shirt's sleeve and kept close.

Deidara scanned the small space for any threats before letting me in. I rushed to Haku's side right away. I placed my hands on his face and observed the marks he was given. To my dismay they looked worse in person. Not only that, his skin was extremely pale. Much like a vampire's skin. It was startling, mainly because I thought he was dead, but his warm skin and steady breathing said otherwise. I sighed in relief.

"Is he okay?" Deidara asked from the doorway.

"Yeah. He's unconscious though. He's suffering from blood loss."

I heard my friend huff. He left the doorway to enter the room and grabbed Haku. "I want to avoid trouble. Let's go before the enemy finds us."

I followed Deidara who walked down the long hallway with Haku in his arms. I tried my best to keep up with his pace and it was proving difficult. He was determined to get out of here. My guess was that he wanted to avoid a fight. I preferred that too. Depending on how old this vampire was, Deidara could be at a disadvantage. And, with Haku out of commission right now, Deidara would be on his own. It would also be difficult to protect Haku and me while fighting a crazed vampire hooked on gypsy blood.

We were moving smoothly through the cave without any detection from any unwanted attention. But even though we were unspotted it was still nerve-wracking. I tried my best to hide how anxious I was because vampires can sense emotions, especially strong waves of emotion. It was difficult to mask my anxiety though. I was silently praying that the vampire couldn't sense me.

The three of us soon reached the entrance of the cave. _"We are actually going to escape here without the enemy finding us."_ I felt my adrenaline rise as my relief escalated. _"We are going to escape."_ Well… that's what I thought anyway.

Deidara stopped walking and I nearly ran right into him. I asked him what he was doing as he sat Haku down against a wall. Deidara's body was tense and his eyes possessed a predatory glint. Does he sense something? If he did, why couldn't we keep running towards the exit?

"She's here," Deidara said to me, rising from the floor. "Stay with the boy. I want you to run if things get out of control."

"Is this vampire that strong? We'll be fine as long as you're fighting, right?"

He looked downward but still stayed alert. When he averted his gaze away from me I frowned. There was a possibility that this woman was stronger than Deidara, but I found it very unlikely. Deidara was nine-hundred and fifty years old. Who can beat that?

"So, you've finally appeared?" Deidara said, walking past me. "My old teacher. I'm surprised that you're still living."

Teacher? Maybe I should start worrying now. Age was no longer an issue. This person taught Deidara once. There's a chance that he might've surpassed her, but judging by the way they were standing I doubted that Deidara did. He appeared a little too tense and afraid. I wasn't sure if he was afraid of her or if he was uncertain of the outcome of this inevitable battle.

"Don't worry, Hinata," said my vampire friend. "I'll protect you both."

"You've gone soft, Deidara," the woman said, removing the hood on her cloak. She was a stunning woman. More stunning than Anko. Shoulder length golden blonde hair framed her elegant face. It strengthened her facial features like her jaw, high cheekbones, and her nose. It also somehow brought out her eyes. Her blue-green eyes seemed to stand out from all of the rest of the features on her face. The only downside to her eyes popping was that we could see the confidence in them. She was confident that she would walk away victorious. "I've taught you better than that."

Deidara shrugged nonchalantly. "Some people change, Temari."

She gave him a twisted smile, exposing her fangs. "Yes. I suppose they do."

Realizing that they were going to fight, I ran by Haku's side. Deidara knew that he couldn't possibly protect us both. He wanted me to run and, if possible, take the gypsy with me. But I couldn't bring myself to leave him behind. Foolish? I know. But I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to Deidara.

Temari pounced at Deidara. And while she was in midair she changed. Her nails grew longer, similar to Naruto's but not quite. The only contrast they shared was that Temari's nails curved under her fingers. Her eyes turned from their original color to a yellowish-orange color, and her hair became much longer and wilder. The bone structure on her body also seemed to transform. Temari's spine hunched over and I could've sworn I heard it crack as it changed. Her arms grew longer and her hands grew a little bigger to befit her nails. She looked very much like a werewolf, but Temari still possessed her vampire fangs and agility. Part of me expected her to sprout hair, but she didn't. I found myself relieved that she didn't.

Deidara moved swiftly to avoid his former teacher's attack. At first I thought he got away unscathed but then I saw him clutch onto his right shoulder. He wasn't bleeding much, but I noticed steam rise from the cut and heard his flesh sizzle as the green residue that Temari's nails left behind ate part of his skin and shirt. His body had trouble healing itself from Temari's attack but he was soon able to overcome the substance. Were her nails acidic?

Temari was on Deidara as soon as she landed. She was much faster than Deidara and he tried his best to avoid her nails that were still seeping with acid. It was proving difficult for him but he was soon able to get far enough away from her to go on the offensive.

They both ran towards each other and collided. Their hands clasped together as they fought for dominance. Their strengths were pretty matched and no one was being subdued. Deidara was thinking of a plan to overpower Temari but as he was thinking, Temari somehow found the strength to tilt her hands enough to pierce my friend's knuckles with her acidic nails. He growled and did a good job at ignoring the pain and tried to equalize their bout again but couldn't. She smiled at her former student and dug her nails in deeper. Deidara released his hands from hers and pulled back.

He stumbled a little with trembling hands that were letting off immense amounts of steam into the air. These new injuries were taking longer to heal on their own but, despite the pain that Deidara felt, he continued to keep his eyes on Temari. When she came at him again he had even more trouble fending her off as she tackled him down to the floor. He tried his best to fight her from underneath her. And as I watched him struggling to get her off I noticed him give me a look filled with desperation. He wanted me to run now. I slowly shook my head and I felt myself rise from Haku's side. Deidara's eyes gave an expression that I couldn't quite identify as he watched me stand up. I figured it was because he knew what I was going to do.

I had to help him.

There wasn't anything I could use in this room as a weapon besides the candles on the walls. If I could pry one off of the wall I could use the fire as a weapon. The only problem was the lights were so high up. I couldn't reach them but I had to try. So I ran over to the wall opposite of me and jumped to get a grip on it. I was a few inches off. Doing a quick scan of the hallway, I found nothing to stand on to further my reach. I had to think of something else.

After recalling everything we passed in this cave I remembered that in the room Haku was being held in there was a couple of standing medieval candles. I hated to leave Deidara with Temari but I had to go back to that room. Fighting whether to go back or not I quickly chose to go. Deidara called out my name when I passed him. I ignored him of course and kept going.

Without getting lost, I found the room and grabbed one of the standing candles. It was heavier than I expected and it took me a while to stop staggering with it in my hands. But I regained my balance and left the room with it.

I returned to the scene a few minutes later. Haku was still passed out near the entrance of the cave and Deidara was still under Temari. One of his hands was on her chest pushing her away. The other was around her throat. He was grunting under her and perspiring profusely. All he had to do was choke her to end this. But I soon realized why he hadn't. Temari had both of her nails on Deidara's neck. She was smiling the same way she had earlier. Temari was toying with him.

When she grew tired of playing with him she dug her nails in deeper. He let out a strangled cry that made me wince. I had to go in to save him now. Rushing towards Temari with the candle under my arm, I presented the candle with a powerful thrust when I got close enough. The vampire didn't notice me until I already pushed the fire into her face. Temari got off of Deidara, holding onto her burning face as she screamed. My friend got up immediately. I expected him to go after Temari while she was off guard, but he ran to me and pinned me against the closest wall which made me drop the candle. He pressed his body against mine and covered me like a shield.

I opened my mouth to yell at him. To tell him that he should've went for Temari but I soon figured out why he chose to protect me instead. The woman already recovered. The burn was gone from her face and she was furious. My heart stopped and I felt my knees buckle when I realized that she was undergoing vampire rage. I would've fallen if it weren't for Deidara supporting me with his body.

Deidara was chanting something in Latin as Temari dashed towards us with blinding speed. Her teeth and nails were ready to take us both down. I was frozen in place. I was scared. For a moment all I could see was Temari coming for us, and in my periphery I could see Deidara's lips moving from chanting his incantation. All I could feel was Deidara's bodily warmth that was oddly warmer than before. I was drinking in my last moments of life again. I was going to die this time. I wasn't going to get a second chance at life like the last time.

At least that's what I thought.

Temari thrust her nails towards us but as she reached out to rip her acidic nails through my skin, a force field formed around me and she flew back, tumbling across the floor as she was pushed away. Relief overcame me as I suddenly had faith that we were going to win this. But the relief disappeared when something warm splashed against my face. It was blood. I was paralyzed for what seemed like forever. Temari wasn't bleeding and neither was I. Slowly turning my head to face Deidara, I screamed out his name and frantically pressed myself harder against the wall behind me even though I knew that I couldn't go anywhere.

Deidara's throat was slit. Blood was everywhere. On me, on him, on our clothes, on the floor… I felt faint. This was worse than when I was dying. Someone I cared about was dying in front of me and I was powerless to do anything just like when my family died. Deidara couldn't die. That was impossible. I couldn't live with myself if he were to. He had to live.

A hand reached up and touched my face. Deidara wiped away a tear that I was shedding. He knew that these thoughts that were running through my head were futile. He was going to die. Countless tears were streaming down my face but he wiped them away anyway. He wanted an excuse to touch me one last time. He wanted an excuse to look at me before he…

I reached out to grab Deidara as I realized that he was falling to the ground. I caught onto his arm and was pulled down with him. There was still some warmth left to him and I wanted to so desperately to save him, but there was nothing I could do. I needed someone that could heal. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything. I was letting someone else I cared about die. Someone that I loved…

Kneeling next to Deidara's body, I released sobs into the quiet room. I held onto my friend's hands and stared at his face through blurry eyes. He looked so calm and at peace. His pale skin becoming a deathly pale with no color to it at all. His once pink lips were turning blue. And his gray-blue eyes were losing the mischievous glint they carried and they were exchanging the trademark glint for a lifeless one that stared off into nothingness. It was heartbreaking but I refused to look away. Not even when I felt someone approach us. If it was Temari she was going to have to kill me with Deidara because I was not going anywhere.

"Hinata," a gentle voice called from above Deidara and me. I gasped and slowly looked at Haku. He was awake and fully aware of what went on while he was out. "Let go of Deidara's hands."

The words took a while to process. They sounded like a foreign language to me. When I noticed what he instructed me to do I shook my head.

He knelt down too so that we were at eye level. "I can help him," he said calmly. "But you need to release him so that I can. Okay?"

I hesitated. The word "release" tugged at my heart and my mind didn't recognize the word. The only way I was able to overcome my stubbornness was by recognizing the word "help". I so desperately wanted someone to help Deidara. And even in my state of shock, I knew that I wasn't the one to assist my dying friend. So slowly, I let go and backed away with weak legs. Letting go of his hand was the hardest part. I felt more tears run down my face as I left his side. I felt as though he needed me to be by his side. No. I needed to be with him. I wanted to be by his side until the end. I wanted help, but I felt as though the only one who could help Deidara was me as I left Haku to take care of him. So many thoughts and feelings of mine were contradicting each other that I became overwhelmed. I fought hard to stand aside and to watch what Haku had in mind.

Haku took a deep breath and placed his hands over the injury. The gypsy's brown eyes turned white like when we were around his crystal ball. Air surrounded them just like a barrier as white lights formed around Haku's hands. Seconds later, white orbs swarmed over Deidara's slit throat. What I saw was incredible. Almost unbelievable. The injury was… reversing. All of the blood on Deidara's face, neck, and clothes returned to his neck. The severed windpipe was repaired along with the muscle and the skin. The color to his skin returned and the glint I was so familiar with came to life in his eyes as he stared at his surroundings in confusion.

"Do not strain yourself," Haku warned. "I may have treated you, but you must still be careful. When we go back to my home Sasuke should be able to finalize the treatment."

Deidara nodded, still confused at what just happened. He was lost but when he remembered everything that just happened he looked back at me. I was still crying but they were tears of joy. I could never repay Haku for what he just did.

Deidara smiled at me, and then frowned when he saw Temari rising from the floor. The tumbling she endured impacted her more than I thought. Bruises loomed all over her face along with scraps. Normally she should've healed by now, but she hadn't. Why?

"So you're prone to my magic, huh?" Deidara said, rising from the floor, too. "I wish that I would've known that about fifteen minutes ago. It must be the werewolf in you."

I saw Temari wince when she heard "magic" leave Deidara's mouth. That was her weakness? That was why she didn't heal? Because she couldn't?

"Why don't we do this again?" Deidara said, walking towards his former teacher. "This time we'll play by my rules." He gave her a sinister smile. He wanted revenge. He wanted to see her in the same position he was in.

The woman turned to run for the exit only to be stopped by a wall of ice. She glared at Haku with predatory eyes but didn't bother to attack him. They both used magic. She wasn't going to win. She knew that. But she wasn't ready to accept defeat yet.

Temari hissed at her threats and sidestepped to get a better aim. Who was she going to attack first? Haku, the weakest or Deidara, the most formidable? It was neither. She was aiming for me. With speed faster than before, she ran towards me with her hands ready to thrust towards me. I braced myself for the attack but the attack never came.

Deidara casted a spell that manipulated the earth beneath us to rise up, cutting Temari and me off from each other. The woman stumbled backwards briefly but gained her balance and headed for Haku. The gypsy gave her a knowing glint before he quickly casted a spell in Romanian. He disappeared into thin air, leaving a mist behind as he fled the attack. Temari was baffled. She nearly ran into the wall and searched for him, completely bewildered. With her enemies having the upper hand, she was becoming unfocused.

She whipped her body around to go for Deidara, but all of us saw that coming. Deidara was on her before she completely turned around. He pinned her against the wall and looked her in the eyes. He was enjoying her suffering. He was enjoying her panic. He was enjoying her rapid breathing underneath him and enjoyed it even more when it stopped. Deidara shoved a hand through her chest and pulled out her heart. He let her body slump to the floor in front of him as he tossed her heart onto her lap.

"Deidara…" I whispered. Deidara whipped his head towards me. He lost the cruel gaze he owned immediately when he stared at me. He gave me a gentle, welcoming gaze as he made his way over to me. I noticed Haku walk over to Temari's corpse, but didn't bother to see what he was doing. I wanted to see Deidara. He was alive. He was healthy. He was himself again.

He wrapped his arms around me and I didn't hesitate to do the same to him. More tears streamed down my face. I didn't think that I'd be able to feel his warmth, smell him, hear his voice, or see his eyes full of life again. I was so scared. So scared that I'd never be able to do anything with him again, that I'd never see him again. Deidara was a friend that I wouldn't be able to live without. I loved him too much to let him go.

Pulling his head away from my shoulder and resting both of his hands on either sides of my head, Deidara met my eyes. I took that as an opportunity to wipe my eyes. I bet that they were red and puffy along with my red nose and cheeks. Embarrassed, I averted my eyes away from my friend.

"Look at me, Hinata," he said. It was such a gentle tone. He never used that tone with me and it startled me for a moment. I knew that tone. A gentle and affectionate tone that was often used by Sasuke when he spoke to Haku. A tone filled with adoration and love, but this sounded somewhat different. I obeyed Deidara and looked at him to find out what he wanted only to be met by a powerful gaze filled with love. The same gaze Sasuke had whenever he stared at me.

Deidara leaned down and kissed me. It was so passionate and tender. It sent electricity throughout my body. Electricity similar to whenever Sasuke kissed me or touched me. But this was milder. He was careful. He was careful that if he kissed me in any other way than this that it'd scare me away or maybe even break me.

He wanted to kiss me with so much more passion than this though. I felt it. His lips brushed against mine with precision and a little lust. It didn't surprise me that he'd want more. What surprised me was that I was participating and letting him kiss me. My lips brushed against his with just as much precision and lust as he caressed my hot face with his hands. My hands abandoned my side and went to accompany Deidara's hair. My fingers tangled in his blonde, long locks. The silky quality that his hair possessed mingled with my fingers that enjoyed the touch. When I played with his hair I felt a smile form on Deidara's lips. It then turned into a frown.

The kiss that we shared came to an abrupt stop. He pulled his lips away from mine and studied my eyes. When he found what he was searching for he opened his mouth to speak. "No one has ever cared about my life that much, Hinata. Not even Kana. How could you both look so much alike, but then be so different?" He paused. "I really wish that I could get you to understand how much I love you. I love you so much that it hurts to look at you sometimes. It kills me to see you with Sasuke every day. I hate it that you look at Sasuke with so much love and I hate it how you look at me like I'm another one of your friends. But after this evening…" A small smile played upon his lips. "I discovered that it took my death for you to find out that you're in love with me, too."

I opened my mouth to protest but I found nothing to say. Was it true? Was I in love with Deidara? Wasn't it impossible to fall in love with more than one person? I replayed everything that was running through my head when Deidara was dying. I mentioned that I loved Deidara a couple of times, but it wasn't because I was in love with him, right? The form of love that I used was meant for friendship. My friend was dying… Yet why did it feel as though I was trying to convince myself? Was Deidara right?

Slowly, I looked up at him in our embrace. I was shocked. This was love? Was I in love with Deidara?

"Dei-" I began to say but was interrupted by Haku.

"It's getting dark," he said, approaching us. He gave us a knowing glint. Sasuke was his closest friend so shouldn't he be upset that I just kissed another man… Or could it be that he saw this coming?

Disgusted with myself, I broke out of Deidara's hold and stormed for the exit without looking back. I chastised myself for everything I allowed Deidara and me to do. How was I going to tell Sasuke? How was he going to react?

The three of us returned to Haku's place when the sun fell. Naruto, Zabuza, and Sasuke were cleaning up the house when we entered the small house. They were all happy to see us all walk through the door and they stopped what they were doing to greet us. I expected Sasuke to greet Haku first, but he went to me instead.

He embraced me and gave me a few kisses. Guilt ate at me with each kiss but Sasuke didn't seem to notice. He was so caught up in his own positive emotions to notice my guilt. He wanted to be with me longer, but Haku interrupted the commotion and requested that we follow him to the room where he kept the crystal ball.

Before we followed the gypsy I glanced back at Deidara. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He gave me a smile and kept his distance when we all sat down on the floor in the small room. Haku took his place behind the crystal ball. He activated it with his magic and studied the messages that he received. He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked deeper into the ball. He nodded his head briefly after furrowing his eyebrows and looked at all of us.

"While I was being held captive by Temari the hybrid, she told me something that caught my attention. She told me that she took me because she needed something pure for the night." He emphasized the word "pure". "I had a few theories as to why she said that, like maybe after living for so long, Temari has lost her mind, or perhaps the world was too corrupted for her and she needed some form of hope to be with her for the night. But after asking them they gave me an answer." My mind spun as I tried to figure out who "they" were. Were they the people holding the limited information that Haku wanted to share? "They told me that there will be a war. A war between us and the _slayers_."


	9. Invitation to the Sand Part 1

After learning that a war was going to take place sometime in the future, Haku forced us to stay overnight. The information of the time of the battle and the reason for it was unknown so he insisted that we sleep here until the sun rose. Zabuza wasn't too happy about us staying over, but he couldn't complain after all that we did for him. We brought Haku back and Sasuke healed his injuries. The process of repairing the water nymph's wounds took longer than usual, but after fighting Temari the hybrid, we knew why. Her nails were induced with poison. The poison was moving through Zabuza's blood stream, thus making it harder for Sasuke to complete the job. Normally, the water nymph would've been up and running within seconds, but I found out that werewolf poison was resistant to vampire magic. It took a lot of Sasuke's strength and will to repair Zabuza. After how much energy he put into Zabuza, he ended up taking it easy for the rest of the night.

I didn't spend much time with Sasuke that night. We were going to share a room anyway, which I wouldn't have minded if it weren't for the fact that I kissed Deidara. Whether it was the heat of the moment or that I wanted to deep down inside, it was still wrong and I felt a tug of guilt at my heart whenever I looked at my boyfriend. I had to tell him, but not tonight. Tonight wasn't the best time to do it. I had another issue that I needed to address.

The _slayers_ were still a mystery and were weighing heavily on my mind. I only knew of their strength to overpower vampires and their hatred for vampires. They also wanted me dead because I knew too much about the supernatural world, which was why I needed more information about them. Who were they? What was their purpose here? Sasuke and Deidara wouldn't tell me what they knew and I had no idea why. So I decided to go ask Haku, the gypsy who knew almost everything. However, when I talked to him about my dilemma, he refused to answer me too and dismissed the brief conversation as, "It wasn't my time to know yet."

Irritated that everyone was keeping secrets from me, I went to bed that night beside Sasuke. Looking at him still tugged at my heart, but I masked it as best I could and lay down that night trying not to think about what I did with Deidara. I instead focused on the mysteries of the _slayers_ and fell asleep on that subject.

After all that had happened two months had passed and we entered summer vacation. I hadn't found the strength to tell Sasuke about the kiss, which I knew karma was going to get me for later. There just was never a time that came up for me to tell him, and I wasn't going to mention it out of the blue. But as more time passed I felt guiltier. I needed to tell him and I decided to do it now.

It was just the two of us in the church back in Konohagakure. He sat in the study reading a book from off one of the shelves when I entered the room. Sasuke looked up at me when he noticed me approaching him and smiled. A lump formed in my throat. _"This is it,"_ I thought as I sat down in a chair near my boyfriend.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" he asked, studying my face as he closed the book.

Saying my name hurt, but I pushed it aside. I didn't want him to get suspicious before I even got to say anything. "U-Um, er…" I had to say it. I had to tell him. "I-In the cave, when we went to save Haku… Deidara and I…" His eyebrows furrowed and he turned his body to face me. He knew something he didn't want to hear was coming. What he didn't expect was betrayal. I swallowed hard and braced myself for what I had yet to say, and I braced myself for the rage that he was going to express. "Deidara and I kissed."

Sasuke skipped the shock phase and went straight into anger. He was expecting something like this. And I was expecting him to get very angry, but I still flinched when he shot up from the chair and shouted, "What?!"

I stood up too. Somewhere along the time we spent together I got used to his rage. "I know what I did was wrong but Deidara and I-"

"What? Got caught up in the moment? Figured it'd be okay since I'd never find out? I saw the way Deidara looked at you, Hinata! As soon as he suggested that you go with him to get Haku I knew I should've fought harder. Naruto should've went with him and you should've stayed with me!" He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation and paced around in circles. He came to a halt and asked me in a low voice, "Do you really love me?" I opened my mouth immediately to answer, but he cut me off. "Think about it, Hinata. I want you to really think about it. Do you really love me?"

Sasuke was a mess of emotions. He didn't know what to feel. Anger, sorrow, confusion, and denial overwhelmed him. He tried to get the better of his emotions with me being there, but it got to the point where he asked me to leave. I understood of course, but it hurt that he couldn't have me around.

Once I left the church I felt a little lighter but still upset. Two months of keeping that to myself was becoming a burden and I wished that I had told Sasuke sooner. I _should've_ told Sasuke sooner. No doubt that he saw me in a different light now for harboring that secret for so long. If I were in his position I wouldn't trust me. I wasn't so sure that I'd want to be with me either, and I was hoping that it wasn't going to come to that.

Replaying everything that happened two months prior to what just went on at the church, I found myself in a daze subconsciously walking back to my apartment. I was snapped out of my daze when my cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. Looking at the caller ID, I groaned when I saw that Ino was calling me. I didn't feel like dealing with her right now, but I answered the call anyway.

"Yes Ino?" I said.

"Come to Sakura's house right now! Come quickly!"

Before I got to reject the invitation, Ino hung up on me. Sighing, I decided to check out what was going on. I needed to get Sasuke off of my mind and this was the best way I could do it. Going home would only make me think of him more.

I arrived at Sakura's house within five minutes and found the door unlocked. As soon as I got through Sakura's mom, Mebuki Haruno, told me to go to Sakura's room. On the way up the stairs Sakura's father, Kizashi Haruno, greeted me with a smile and waved. I returned the gesture with all of the willpower I could muster. Right now I felt a little numb and I found myself presenting a façade. Here's hoping my best friends won't notice.

"Okay guys," I said, opening Sakura's bedroom door. "What's going on?"

Ino yanked me in and swiftly shut the door behind me. She pushed me into a plush beanbag chair in one of the corners of the room and took her place back on Sakura's bed. Sakura sat on the floor by Ino's feet, hugging her legs with a large smile. Looking at Ino, I noticed that she was giving the same smile, a mischievous one that meant that they were up to something that they wanted me to be a part of. Some things never change.

"Guess what I found out," Ino sang cheerfully. Many options raced through my mind. I took too long to answer so Ino more than happily told me, "I found out where the Kazekage is staying!"

My eyes widened in surprise. "He actually came?"

"Well, yeah," Ino scoffed. "Why wouldn't he? This place is great! And what's even greater is that he's going to meet us."

I shot up in astonishment. "You got us an appointment to meet the Kazekage?"

"No. We're going to sneak into his hotel room to meet him." She saw the excitement on my face turn. "Don't worry. Once he sees how wonderful we all are he won't mind us bothering him."

I sunk back into the beanbag chair and sighed. Ino wasn't really going to make us go through with this, was she? If we even got through the heavy security, and I'm sure he had heavy security, then we'd be arrested once we got in his room to meet him. This was going to fail.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Sakura asked. "You don't look like yourself."

"Huh?" It took me a moment to figure out what she was talking about. But I then remembered when Sasuke got angry with me. "Sasuke and I had a fight not too long ago." As I said that, I let my head rest in my hands and I slouched in the plush beanbag chair.

"What happened?"

"I, um, kissed Deidara and didn't tell Sasuke about it."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something but Ino interrupted. "That's my girl!" she said with pride. "Grabbing up beautiful boys like girls grabbing shoes on sale. I'm so proud of you."

"I didn't do it intentionally," I told them. "It just kind of happened and now Sasuke doesn't even want to look at me."

"Oh Hinata…" Sakura said with a voice full of such sympathy that I removed my face from my hands to turn to look at her. She knelt beside me and rubbed my back in such a way that comforted me. "Sasuke loves you and this was only the first strike. It may not be any time soon, but he'll forgive you."

"And it could've been worse," Ino added, letting her legs dangle and swing back and forth on Sakura's floral double bed. "Kissing is harmless. You could've slept with him. _Then_ you'd have to worry about Sasuke not forgiving you. I remember the time when-"

"You're not helping, Ino," Sakura scolded, immediately cutting her off. She then turned to me. "Let's get your mind off of Sasuke for now."

Ino hopped off of the bed and stood in front of us with her hands on her hips. "And what's a better way to do that than to go see the Kazekage? You in?"

I looked at Ino, who was smiling like earlier. I then looked at Sakura, who nodded at me and let me know that she was willing to do anything I wanted to do. What did _I_ want to do? The answer was simple: to get my mind off of Sasuke. And what was a better way to do that than by seeing the Kazekage? Smiling at my friends, I agreed to go with them to the hotel.

Ino had it all planned out and told us every detail as we walked to the five star hotel named after our first Hokage,The Senju. In her bag, Ino carried three maid uniforms that she "borrowed" from the hotel and somehow obtained a skeleton key that only staff carried. We were going to go into one of the bathrooms to change and then head up to the Kazekage's room. Sakura and Ino were going to hide under a laundry cart that I was going to be pushing. I found it humiliating to wear the black and white uniform with a skirt I found too short. But I found it even more humiliating to actually let others see me in it. Sakura and Ino both agreed that I looked the most innocent so the guards wouldn't expect anything. What they seemed to forget was that my nerves sometimes got the best of me. When I was forced to lie, a lot of possibilities ran through my mind that made me even more nervous, like what if the maids already replaced the sheets? What if they didn't believe I was an employee? What if I accidentally blew our cover?

Sakura placed a hand on my shoulder when we entered the bathroom. "Don't worry, Hinata," she said soothingly. "We'll get in and out without any complications."

"And if we don't," Ino began as she took off her red tank top, "we'll make a run for it."

"Thanks Ino," I said sarcastically. "You always seem to find the magical words to sooth me."

"It's what I do," she smiled.

I smiled at Sakura to show her that her words reassured me. She returned the smile and then we all changed our clothes. The operation was now in motion.

We found an empty laundry cart in the supply closet and Sakura and Ino hid underneath it. I made sure that the cloth attached to the cart was draped the correct way and that it completely concealed them.

We took the elevator to the tenth floor because we figured that the Kazekage would be on this floor since it was the top. As we travelled through the hallways, I suspected that he really was on this floor. Security was everywhere. They wore black sunglasses, black suits, and they owned an ear phone, which I found a little humorous since a lot of movies and FBI shows had secret agents wearing the same attire. But I also found them intimidating. They studied their surroundings and everyone with such deft. They looked like the type that could catch any detail out of the ordinary, which worried me. What if they noticed my friends? I've never stayed overnight here, but I doubted the maids hid under carts.

Soon I reached the room where I suspected that the Kazekage was in. Two security guards stood outside the French doors carefully watching everything that passed them by. These two looked more experienced and observant than the others that we passed so it'd take a miracle to get through these guards. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before approaching them.

"I came to change the sheets," I told them. My voice was trembling but not as much as I thought it would.

Both of the towering men studied me. Normally this would've made me even more nervous than I currently felt, but after Sasuke studying me almost every day, this almost made me feel comfortable. Almost.

After a few seconds of checking me out, they gave me the okay to enter the room. Using the skeleton key to open the door, I entered the suite… And it was huge. A sixteen foot tall ceiling hung over our heads with glass chandeliers sparkling in the natural light. The natural light was owned by windows that were just as tall as the ceiling and they took up an entire wall. To enjoy the breath taking view of the city, three leather sofas were gathered by the windows and they surrounded a wooden coffee table with magazines sitting on its surface. Not too far from the seating area was a bar. A startling variety of liquor, alcohol, and wine filled the bar, but it looked untouched. Next to the bar was a mini kitchen. A few paintings filled the walls. A mini refrigerator and a small, round table with four matching chairs sat in the corner of one of the walls. Opposite of the front door was the hallway that led down to what I suspected was the luxurious bathroom and the massive bedroom.

My friends climbed out from the cart and gasped at the gorgeous room.

"We so have to book a room on prom night," Ino said, still amazed at the room.

Sakura and I just nodded our heads as we took in more of our surroundings. It was beautiful and it felt so comfortable. I wanted to sit down and breathe everything in, but I was too scared to touch anything. Everything looked so expensive.

"What do we do now, Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Um, I hadn't really thought about how we'd talk to the Kazekage." She laughed nervously.

"What?"

"Don't worry," Ino assured. "I got somewhat of an idea." Sakura and I raised our eyebrows in disbelief. "Go change his sheet for real, Hinata while think some more. Help me brainstorm, Sakura."

I scoffed. Thankfully there were actually some clean sheets on the cart, so I went down the wide hallway and into the only set of French doors. The bedroom was stunning too. The super king sized bed rested against a wall of windows. The welcoming light bathed the room in its captivating warmth. It coated the bed's top sheet in such a way that drew my attention to it first. The silk top sheet gleamed in the light and reflected its dark red hue onto the wall nearest to it. On the left side of the bed was a large walk-in closet. Across the bed was a brick fireplace that had two expensive looking chairs sitting in front of it. And across the French doors that I just walked through was what I expected was the en suite. The French doors leading to it were closed though.

After breathing the room's features in I began to make the large bed. As I was stripping the expensive sheets I couldn't help but wonder why a bed this big was needed for one person. Sakura, Ino, and I could all fit on this bed with more room to spare.

Once the sheets and pillow cases were removed I began to put the clean sheets on. I was only able to put on the bottom sheet that wrapped around the mattress, and I just picked up the next blanket when I heard the French doors open. Someone was here and they just came from the en suite. Slowly I peered over my shoulder to see a boy about my age.

"You're here to change the sheets?" he asked.

An immense amount of heat crept up on my face that burned like fire as soon as I saw him. This fair skinned stranger had auburn, short, spiky hair that was long enough to hang just a little over a tattoo he had above his left eyebrow. I studied a little Japanese and recognized the tattoo as "love" in Kanji. It had been done in red ink and the color almost matched his hair. Looking at more of his facial features I noticed his eyes. They were beautiful. They were an emerald green color that gave off a chilling air, yet they also felt warm. I couldn't quite explain it. He was a stunning boy, but his face wasn't what made me blush like this.

It was his body.

He had a gorgeous body that I found myself unable to tear my eyes from, and he made no effort in trying to hide it from me. Maybe he enjoyed the female attention, maybe he liked the way I checked out his athletic body that owned hard abs and beautiful muscles on his arms. I don't know, but the satisfied smile he granted me gave me an idea that he wanted me to look. It was hard to stop looking. And he just stepped out of the shower too. His auburn hair was wet, his skin was flushed, his body was glistening from the light because it was drenched in water, and the worst part of it all was that he was only wearing a towel. I felt tormented drinking in all of his features. He was beautiful.

"Y-Yes…" I squeaked after realizing that I was checking him out.

He smiled kindly with beautiful white, straight teeth. He walked over to me and, oh God, he smelled like Axe. It must be the body gel and shampoo. I needed to move away from him. With a gorgeous boy smelling this heavenly, it was dangerous for a girl like me to be around him. This was basically an invitation that was so hard to reject.

"Let me help you," he said, standing beside me. He placed a hand on mine to grab the sheet I had in my hand. It was a simple touch, but it sent a blazing heat through my body. "I don't like it when people do things for me. It makes me feel dependent."

With a trembling hand, I released the sheet and let him take it. I scurried over to the other side of the bed to make the bed from there. I could still smell him but not as much. It was the best I could do for now. I couldn't risk blowing our cover.

"What's pretty girl like you working here for?" he asked, fixing the super king without looking at me.

"P-Pretty?" I repeated. Did a guy as good looking as him just ask me that?

"Yes," he said confidently. He took his attention away from the bed to stare at me. "Or do you _really_ work here?"

I swallowed hard.

The boy sighed and gave me a knowing gaze. "You're not a maid, are you?"

"N-No, I'm not."

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked, finishing his side of the bed.

I thought about not telling him my true purpose here, but seeing as he already knew I wasn't an employee, there was no point in lying. Not only that, lying to him would make me feel like I committed a crime for some reason. He gave off an air that made me want to obey his every command.

"My two friends and I wanted to meet the Kazekage, which I'm suspecting is you." I frowned. "I'm Hinata Hyuga and my friends are in the living room area coming up with a plan to meet you. I am really sorry for disturbing you. I'll accept any punishment you have."

I expected him to get angry but he smiled instead. "I'm flattered," he said. "I don't get much female attention in Sunagakure. I don't even receive much here." He paused and cupped his chin in thought. "I'll be more than happy to meet your friends if that's fine with you."

"N-No. Not at all. They'll be very excited to meet you."

"Good." He turned towards the en suite. "I'll go change my clothes." He then looked me up and down. "You should change too."

Feeling the burning creep up on me again I stormed out of the room, closing the doors behind me. I told Sakura and Ino what happened and we changed back into our street clothes immediately. They were excited and they could barely contain their excitement. Ino was the most anxious to meet the Kazekage. She knew what he looked like from magazines and the news, but she kept saying that he must be even hotter in person. I agreed with her to both of their astonishment. Since I thought he was hot, Sakura could only imagine what he looked like.

Moments after we sat down on the couches by the windows the Kazekage came to meet my friends. Their mouths dropped and their eyes glittered with worship. I wished I could've seen their faces if they were the ones to see him half naked. What he was wearing looked good on him too, but not as good as when he was half naked. He wore a formal, green button down shirt with black designer jeans. His smile was pleasant as he shook my friends' hands and introduced himself as Gaara.

We chatted with Gaara and got to get to know him a little better. He was sixteen, like Ino and I were, and had become the Kazekage about three months ago. Life was lonely for him in Sunagakure because he was always buried in paperwork and stuck in meetings. The only people he associated with were his older sister and older brother, and even when he did get to sit and talk to them, it wasn't for long. He was always needed.

Coming to Konohagakure was supposed to be a vacation for him but all he's done so far was get acquainted with our Hokage, which was business. Gaara hasn't been showed around Konohagakure at all in the three days that he's been here and he hasn't spoken to anyone besides the Hokage and his bodyguards. By the way he was talking about how beautiful our city was we could all tell that he wanted to go out to take in the foreign sights himself. But the guards wouldn't allow that. The hotel room was more than he could ask for, but outside was really where he wanted to be.

We felt bad that Gaara couldn't go out and really enjoy his vacation, but we didn't have the power to help him out. Sneaking out of the window was not an option since we were on the tenth floor, and putting Gaara in a disguise would definitely not work. Those guards were hired for a reason.

"Well," Sakura said, "why don't you ask them one more time? If some of your guards come along, then you'd be fine right?"

"That's what I'd like to hope." Gaara sighed, stretching his arms along the back of the leather couch. "They aren't very easy to convince."

"But you're their boss," Ino argued. "And you're on vacation. How is this a vacation if you're confined to your hotel room?"

"Probably because they only called this a vacation so they could get me out here," he responded. "I wasn't willing to become acquainted with the leaders of the other countries since I just became the leader of mine not too long ago. But if another week of staying here like a prisoner keeps up then I'm going back to Sunagakure."

"What if I convince them for you?" Ino asked. There was a flirty tone in her voice that Sakura and I both exchanged uncomfortable glances at. We knew what she was going to do, but Gaara was clueless and agreed to her offer immediately. Proudly, she left the room to meet the unsuspecting guards. If only he knew that she was going to persuade them with her advances.

"So," Gaara leaned forward on the couch opposite of Sakura and me. "What grade are you all in?"

"We're all going onto our junior year. Right now all of the kids are on summer vacation," I answered.

"Interesting," he said. "I used to go to Suna High, but when I became Kazekage, the council voted on me being home schooled. If I were still attending high school then I'd be a junior too." He gave us a sad smile. "I kind of miss being there. I used to hate it, but after realizing how lonely it is to be Kazekage I wish that I could go back."

Sakura smiled kindly. She was compassionate and motherly and she felt bad for Gaara. Even though he was a stranger she wanted to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. But she fought off the urge and instead said, "Too bad we can't go back with you to Sunagakure so we can give you the attention you need. I feel really bad about your loneliness and the huge responsibilities that you have to carry out at such a young age, and I think we all agree that we want to help you. We may be strangers, but we'll do all that we can to close the void, Gaara."

I nodded my head and smiled too. "Right. We want you to feel comfortable around us, too. We could even become friends if you want." I might not be as good at easing people like Sakura, but I still earned a smile from the Kazekage.

"Thank you," he said to us. "I appreciate everything that the three of you are doing for me. No one's been this nice to me in a while."

Moments later Ino came back into the room with the two guards from outside of the suite's entrance following close behind her. She had a large smile on her pretty face and pride twinkled in her blue eyes when she announced, "Let's go explore Konohagakure!"

A part of me had a feeling that Ino could accomplish seducing the bodyguards, but another part of me thought that she wouldn't be able to pull it off. They were so serious and seemed as though they cared about their job too much to listen to a little girl. But they were completely on board to go explore. Ino was very charismatic and charming so maybe that made them switch sides… Or so I thought. They were flustered and their bodies stiffened whenever Ino was near them. Sakura and I both believed that she persuaded them with the promise of sex or she showed them her advances. Either way, Sakura and I weren't going to ask. Whatever she did wasn't going to be worth sharing.

Sakura and I were bothered by this. Ino's body looked like a woman's so the guards probably thought that she was an adult. Ino, however, was actually willing to deceive them by fulfilling whatever she promised. My stomach twisted when I looked back at Ino getting comfortable between the guards as we were walking out of the five star hotel. I've never seen her hook up with boys before so this was my first. And I was hoping that it'd be my last.

On a brighter note, Gaara was fascinated with most of the things that Konohagakure had to offer. He claimed that our plants, buildings, and people were all very different from Sunagakure. Sunagakure was a desert so there wasn't much plant life other than the cacti and exotic flowers that survived in the desert's harsh, dry heat. He also said the buildings were made out of sand and the people wore clothing that covered and protected their skin from the sun's harsh UV rays. What made me laugh was that sunblock was the most popular item in Sunagakure. They sold over fifty brands and scents in the malls and pharmacies.

When Gaara mentioned earlier that he didn't receive much female attention I didn't believe him. Watching the girls pass by the beautiful Kazekage amazed me. Girls of all ages watched him in fascinated wonder and they carried the same worshiping gaze that my friends gave Gaara when they first met him. They looked at him like he was some kind of God and this time even I had to agree. He walked gracefully down the humid streets of Konohagakure between Sakura and me with his head held high and his emerald eyes analyzed every object he saw with wonder and curiosity. I doubted that the people knew that he was the Kazekage because they weren't star struck or running up to him for an autograph. There was just something about him that everyone was drawn to. And it wasn't just his beauty. There was something… something otherworldly about him that I couldn't put my finger on.

The Kazekage snapped me out of my thoughts when he placed a hand on my shoulder and pointed to a building with his other hand. "What's that?"

"That's the mall," I answered.

Konohagakure has two malls. Both are very large and popular and they have some kind of rivalry going on. To advertise, people were hired to stand outside of all entrances of the buildings dressed in weird costumes to try to lure in customers. The one that Gaara was pointing to was the mall that Deidara and I went to when we bonded for the first time.

Gaara's mouth dropped in awe. "The malls in my homeland are not this big."

"Do you want to check it out?" Sakura asked.

He eagerly nodded.

The guards continued talking to Ino but moved closer to the Kazekage when we entered the mall. We Konoha girls sighed when the air conditioning hit us, but Gaara and his guards seemed unaffected. They weren't even sweating. This heat must be nothing compared to Sunagakure, and thinking back to when we first entered Gaara's suite at The Senju, I realized that the air conditioning wasn't on in any of the rooms. I wondered if they thought that Konohagakure was even the slightest bit hot.

The Kazekage was so amazed with all the things we had here that I couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked. His eyes were big with wonder the whole way here and they still were. He stared at and inspected everything like it was his first time looking at finer things in the world. But what I found even cuter was that he was looking at key chains. The little plastic key chains that broke easily and were painted with cheap paint.

He wanted to buy one but he only had Sunagakure currency on him. He looked so disappointed and Sakura couldn't help herself. She ended up buying him five. Gaara promised that he'd pay her back but she refused. She told him that friends do things for each other without expecting something in return and that a simple "thank you" was plenty for her. Gaara obviously wasn't used to that and found it a little strange, but he thanked her anyway. Something told me that he was going to pay her back later anyway though.

The next thing that caught Gaara's attention was a jewelry stand. At this time of year the jewelry stand gathered rare accessories from the five great nations Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure to put on display and for sale. They were very expensive and hardly sold. The only reason why they continued to come back was because the items got a lot of attention from the customers.

We approached the stand and looked at the jewels in awe. The light from the large display case imbedded in the stand made all of the accessories shine so bright that I had to squint in order to browse. Each year the collection got larger and the jewelry became even more stunning than the last. The sections from where the items belonged were labeled, but in my opinion the accessories didn't need labels. Most of the gems imbedded in the golden or silver chains, cases, or whatever else they came with had their country's trademark color to represent where it came from. Red for Konohagakure, green for Sunagakure, blue for Kirigakure, yellow for Iwagakure, and purple for Kumogakure.

I ghosted my fingertips over the stand, stared at the items with desire as they mocked my shallow wallet, and said, "I wish I could buy something for Sasuke."

"Who's Sasuke?" Gaara asked.

"My boyfriend. We got into a fight earlier and I want to buy him something to make up for the mistake that I made." Normally I wouldn't tell strangers about my personal problems, but it just came out. It was like the words were pulled out.

"How unfortunate," he told me, frowning as he followed my eyes to the golden ring that had red beryl infused with it. It was over ten-thousand dollars and the money in my wallet was nowhere near that amount. I'd be working for years before I had the amount needed.

In my periphery I saw Gaara digging through his pocket. I gasped when he pulled a large amount of Sunagakure cash out. I rested a hand on the hand he was using to hold the money. "What are you doing?"

"You want it, right?" He pointed to the sign sitting on top of the display. It said "International Currency Acceptable" in capital letters. "Let me buy it for you."

"I-I can't let you-"

"You're my friend, Hinata. My first one I admit. Let me do this for you so you can repair your relationship with Sasuke." He turned to Sakura. "Do you want something too, Sakura?"

Even though her green eyes were consumed with both astonishment and desire she shook her head at Gaara's casual offer. He asked that question like he was buying us something cheap, like ice cream. I was always envious of rich people because they buy and do whatever they wanted. And after meeting one and becoming friends with one the envy only increased when it should've dissipated. He spoke of expensive things so casually that it angered me a little. I know his future wife will certainly be happy.

The five of us moved along after the Kazekage bought me the ring that was worth more than my life. Somewhere along our journey through the mall we brought up Sasuke because he caught Gaara's interest. He asked what kind person he was, did he go to our school, and was he a good person. I didn't find it odd at all that he wanted to know more about me and my boyfriend. What shocked me was that he asked Sakura if she had a boyfriend.

Her eyes widened in surprise and her face got red really fast. She responded with a lot of effort. "I-I'm actually… interested in someone right now."

Our new friend wasn't disappointed. Instead it seemed as though his curiosity got the better of him and was quenched when Sakura gave him what he was asking for. But then the curiosity returned when he asked, "What about Ino?"

Our blonde friend was still with the guards and somehow got their undivided attention. They were laughing together with their arms linked. Whenever Ino looked at them she gave them lust filled stares while they stared at her with adoration. They loved her charm and didn't suspect that she was only using them. Unfortunately for them, once they were done doing what she promised them they were never going to hear from her again.

"Ino has a lot of boyfriends," Sakura answered with disgust in her voice.

"Hmm…" was all he said to that. He appeared to be disgusted too and I was surprised. Most guys didn't mind Ino's behavior because she was 'easy' as they said. The only boys that I met that thought she was disgusting were Naruto and Sasuke and they both wondered why I hung out with her. Remembering how Gaara enjoyed me staring at his half naked body, I expected him to be okay with Ino, but he wasn't. He appeared to be even more appalled than Sakura.

For the rest of our afternoon Gaara, Sakura, and I had fun talking about how we met in elementary school and that Sakura used to be a bully. Despite how she bullied other kids, she took a liking to me and defended me from other kids. Gaara found it shocking and hard to believe that our pink-haired friend used to be a tomboy and now she's the girliest out of our trio. I guess in his eyes she couldn't hurt a fly, but if he stayed around long enough he'd realize that she can still throw a punch when good and ready.

We asked about Gaara's childhood and school life but he didn't say much. He mentioned things like his older sister graduated three years ago and that she works as a secretary at the mansion he stays at in Sunagakure. And he said that his older brother just graduated from school and plans to work for him as a bodyguard since the ones he has now don't do their job correctly.

When Gaara spoke about his life I noticed sadness in his eyes. None of the things he discussed were sad events and he definitely wasn't giving off a homesick glint, so I wondered if there was something deeper about his past that he wasn't talking about. He didn't know us enough to talk about it no matter how much he liked us, and this wasn't the place to discuss something that was upsetting him so I didn't bother to ask. If Sakura noticed then she'd ask him what was wrong. I was glad that she didn't realize he was upset as our day dragged further on.

Our day ended when the sun began to set. We parted ways with the Kazekage when we walked him back to the hotel, and he surprised us all with a hug as a farewell and gave us six tickets to Sunagakure. He told us to bring whoever we wanted and to visit him at the mansion when we had the chance. He'd make room for us in his schedule just to see us. Apparently this meant more to him than we realized. I don't know about my friends, but I felt like I just committed a good deed.

The three of us walked back to Sakura's house in the heat that didn't die down even with the sun off of us. My pink-haired friend asked me to stay overnight, but I had to go back to Sasuke. I bet he was still angry, but he should be able to bear being around me now. And now that I had the gift that Gaara bought and an apology ready to be said, I had to go.

Minutes after I departed from my best friends I arrived at the church. Standing in front of the door with gift in hand, I took a deep breath and collected myself. Wrapping my hand around the doorknob, I twisted it and cautiously walked inside. I felt the lump that had been earlier in my throat appearing again when I saw Sasuke waiting for me. His face was expressionless and I couldn't guess if he was feeling anything at all. But I felt my heart hit my chest hard and my vision become blurry with warm tears that ran down my cheeks as soon as I saw him. I wasn't thinking. I couldn't stop myself. After what I did and how long I took to confess I felt horrible, so horrible that I could die right there. I felt like I deserved it. But despite that, I found myself running to Sasuke and throwing my arms around him. I cried hysterically with my face buried into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and stroked my hair gently. I kept repeating muffled "I'm sorry's" over and over again into his shoulder that was now drenched in my tears. And I could hardly believe it when he said "It's okay" for every sorry I gave him.

It took a lot of effort to pull myself from him and it seemed like he didn't want me to release him. I opened my mouth to apologize again but he spoke before I could.

"Deidara told me everything that happened," he said in complete understanding. "In a situation like that… I guess it was acceptable, but I am still very upset."

"I-I-I am r-really s-sorry…" The words were really hard to get out. Gasps were forced out in between each word and I predicted that I wouldn't be able to say more than one word until I calmed down.

"I know," he told me, caressing my face with his warm hand. He kissed me on my forehead and stroked my hair again. When he broke away he looked into my eyes with love. His love for me was amazing. Even after betrayal Sasuke forgave me. Honestly, if he did the same thing I did I think I'd forgive him too. It'd hurt but it could be forgiven as long as the other was sorry. My regret was probably what made him forgive me, and I realized that that the expressionless face he gave me was made out of some kind of defense mechanism or some sort of precautionary measure. He didn't want to show me weakness or get his hopes up if I hadn't regretted what I did. He was afraid to show weakness, especially to me, but I detected it even if he tried hard to hide it.

"I… I got you a g-gift…" With a trembling hand from the crying, I handed Sasuke the small 24-carat golden box.

He took it and looked at me questioningly. Opening the box, his mouth slightly dropped from surprise and then his face twisted into something more sentimental. He didn't cry from tears of joy, but I'd like it if he did. He really liked it and judging by the look on his face, I guessed the next thing he was going to say was something like "How did you get this?" but I answered him before he got to ask the question.

"I-I met the Kazekage and he b-bought it for me at the mall after he saw me looking at it." I felt myself calming down and thanked God that the stuttering was dying.

"Thank you," he said softly. He kissed me and then backed away when he saw that I had more to say. I bet he wanted to know how I met the Kazekage but he put that wonder aside for another time.

"The Kazekage also gave Sakura, Ino, and I a total of six plane tickets to Sunagakure." I smiled, making sure to show my teeth. "Want to come?"

He smiled, kissed me again, and said, "Of course." He then asked, "Who are you going to give the other two tickets to?"

I hadn't thought about that. I had no clue who to give them to. "Why don't you choose? Think of it as another gift."

"Alright," he said with a large grin. He leaned his face closer to mine after slipping on the ring. "Now that our relationship is saved once again, why don't we go upstairs to your room? It's been a long time since we did it last."

My face got hot as his face drew closer and closer to mine. "Okay." I was careful to not respond immediately. The last time we had sex was months ago and it was our first time together. I had been wanting to engage in more but I didn't want to come off as a sex addicted pig.

I apparently hadn't been the only one lusting for the other, thankfully. Sasuke was kissing me with a feverish velocity that made my lips burn, and his hands ghosted over my bare skin on my bed. His hands left me wanting more of his touch and always, always complained when he left my body alone, even if it was temporary. My ears enjoyed the sound of his moans above me. They sounded like music to me and he enjoyed my musical notes too. My voice calling out into the air in pleasure still sounded foreign to me, and at times I didn't recognize my own voice. Sasuke, however, loved it. His body grinded against mine so hard that it burned, but even that felt pleasurable. After how long we'd been apart we carelessly called out each other's name into the empty church that night not caring who heard us.

The next morning I awoke in his warm embrace. His rough skin was pressed against me and his breath tickled the back of my neck. I let my soft fingers trace over the rough, pale skin of his arm that was holding me against him as I breathed in his TRESemmé shampoo. The scent of his hair was so alluring that I had to turn my body around to run my fingers through his soft, silky, dark locks. His hair was so dark that it glistened blue in the sunlight. Sasuke was a beautiful person no doubt, but I enjoyed seeing him in the sun. Going to Sunagakure excited me because I'd get to see him out in the sunlight almost every day.

My lover began to stir from my touch. I took my hand away from his hair but he woke up anyway. He smiled at me, stared at me with his dark orbs, and said with a voice like honey "Last night was fun wasn't it?"

I gave him a good morning kiss. "Yeah." After not doing it for so long, my body was a little sore but I was too happy to complain. "Do you think we'll have the time to do this at Sunagakure with my friends there?"

"We'll make time."

Sasuke's face was filled with lust after mentioning having sex in the sandy city. It excited me, honestly, but there was a chance that we wouldn't have time. I had no knowledge on how the hotels operated over there so I wasn't sure that males and females could stay in the same room together. I looked like a high schooler and Sasuke did, too. Of course, we were young, so people automatically assumed that we would be booking a room together to have sex… Then again, Sasuke and I would be having sex in the hotel room, which is something that they would try to prevent.

But, despite all of that, I smiled anyway and said "Okay."

My cell phone began to vibrate on the nightstand. I picked up my phone, without checking to see who was calling me, and answered it. It was boy's voice that I didn't recognize at first, but after listening to some of the words that the boy was saying I realized that it was Gaara.

I noticed that I hadn't been speaking when my newest friend asked "Are you even awake, Hinata?"

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," I said, running my fingers through my bangs that desperately needed a trim, and I sat up from the bed. "H-How did you get my number?"

"Sakura and Ino are here with me at The Senju. I decided to leave a week early so we're all going to Sunagakure together. You want to come by to join us?"

"Um, s-sure, but," I looked down at myself, "I'm not dressed and I need to take a shower." I then glanced back at Sasuke who was lying down and caressing my bare leg. It sent waves of electricity throughout my body. "I also plan on bringing my boyfriend and two more of my friends. Is it alright that you have to wait?"

I heard him shuffling through papers through the phone. After a few seconds he said, "Sure. The next flight won't take off until four o' clock this evening." The Kazekage paused. "Even though it's only nine o' clock do you want to come over? When we get to Sunagakure I doubt that I'll get to see you as much as I'd like. We can spend some time together."

"Sure," I said automatically. That must be what Sakura and Ino are doing over there. "I'll come over right away."

I hung up the phone and got out of bed. That's when Sasuke sat up and asked, "You're leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm going to see Gaara." I spoke as I gathered the things I needed to take a shower. "While I'm out why don't you invite the two people you want to bring with us to Gaara's home? The flight leaves at four so you have a lot of time to decide."

My boyfriend exhaled a heavy "Alright."

I took a shower, brushed my teeth, picked out a black tank top with navy blue skinny jeans and pulled my long hair up into a ponytail after I finished taking care of my hygiene. I packed a suitcase with a week's worth of clothes, and headed off to The Senju in the blistering heat. The heat was worse than yesterday which made the ten minute walk to the five star hotel seem longer. Entering through the doors of the hotel was like I just reached heaven. The air conditioning was on full blast and the elevator was cool too. I was sweating not too badly, but remembering that the Kazekage didn't use his AC in his room made me think twice about entering the luxurious suite. I bet outside was cooler than that room. With windows that big the room must be hot enough to cook a person alive.

With the fear of being cooked alive I approached the French doors. I noticed that the guards from yesterday weren't there. Two different ones had replaced them. They were about to tell me to leave when Gaara opened one of the doors and motioned me to come inside. I hesitated but after standing there for a few seconds, I felt the cool air from the air conditioning caress my feet. No way was I going to refuse the cool air beckoning me.

I entered the room with Gaara as my rolling suitcase followed behind me. I expected to see both of my friends sitting on the couches by the windows, but I only saw Sakura. Ino was nowhere to be found.

I sat my luggage down by the bar to sit beside my pink-haired friend. "Where's Ino?"

Sakura rolled her green eyes. "She's with the guards from yesterday. They booked a room not too long after Gaara called you. You don't need me to tell you the rest."

"Ew," I said. "Why would she do it here?"

"Well, why not?" the Kazekage said as he sat down on the couch beside the one Sakura and I were sitting on. "It's the perfect place to and I doubt that Ino would have any time to at Sunagakure. The hotels don't even allow different genders to share a room unless you're married or related."

"_Well that blows Sasuke's and my plan,"_ I thought.

"We're sorry for our friend," Sakura said.

"It's fine," Gaara said. He wasn't fooling anybody though. Disgust was in his voice and on his face as he thought of Ino and his bodyguards. "Everyone needs to have fun once in a while. My employees don't get out too often."

"Ino does," Sakura and I mumbled in unison.

The Kazekage frowned. Talk about sex made him uncomfortable I realized. I assumed as soon as I met him that he was experienced. He wasn't shy at all to let me see his body. But now I'm thinking that he's a virgin. He squirmed a little on the sofa and averted his attention elsewhere. That was a shock, but I didn't show or share what I just discovered. I chose to change the subject for his sake. And mine.

"What's your homeland like?" I asked, leaning forward on the expensive furniture. "Is it bigger than Konohagakure?"

He gave me a smile and I saw a bit of relief play on his sexy face. "Not really. It's slightly larger than here. But it's still pretty similar to your city and it's easy to get lost. A lot of the buildings look the same so it's not like you can find your way around the city based on the buildings alone."

"What about the stores?" Sakura asked, enthusiasm being the highlight of her question.

Gaara chuckled. "I think you'll like our stores. We only have one mall but I think you'll enjoy it anyway. My older sister goes there almost every day and she buys me a lot of fascinating things that I don't need." He cupped his chin in thought. "You and Ino can go with her one day." He turned to me. "You're not into that kind of thing right? Shopping?"

"No," I admitted. "I only ever go because my friends ask."

I shot Sakura an apologetic glance when her mouth dropped.

"All the years of going to the mall was torture for you, huh?" Sakura said. "No wonder you never said much until we left."

"We also have a lot of beaches in case you're interested in them," Gaara said. "I might be able to join you, too. There's a beach not too far from my home."

"That's great. We can't wait for-"

Sakura's speech came to an abrupt stop when Ino walked into the suite with triumph on her face. She strutted over to the couch Gaara was sitting on but didn't bother sitting down.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked cheerfully.

The three of us looked at each other until Gaara's and Sakura's eyes rested on me. I sighed similar to the way Sasuke did this morning and said, "Beaches. We were talking about beaches in Sunagakure."

"Oh, really?" she said, plopping down beside Gaara. She sat too close to him and I saw him squirm away. Now she was going for the Kazekage? And right after she just had a sex with two men? This was _not_ the Ino I knew. The Ino I met was innocent and kind. She used to think lowly of the girls who did what she's doing now. It took all of my strength to not rip her from Gaara's side and remind her of her morals.

"Yeah, we want to go to the beach," Sakura responded after I took too long to answer.

"Ooh! I got the perfect swimsuit."

She moved so close to Gaara that her bare leg was pressed against his jeans. He couldn't inch away because there was the arm of the couch blocking his way and a girl. So he just stood up and said quickly, "I need to make a phone call." He then walked down the hall that led to the bedroom.

As soon as he was in the bedroom I said, "What the hell is wrong with you!?" I was surprised by the vehemence in my voice and my friends were too because they jumped at hearing the anger in my voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ino asked. She was pulling off the innocent voice. But I knew better. I've known her for too many years to believe her innocence.

"Stop coming onto Gaara. He doesn't want you."

"How would you know?" she snapped. She became offended instantly. "You've never been with a man, Hinata. How would you know if Gaara doesn't want me or not?"

"Because he's seen how you are!" I countered. "He's uncomfortable and so am I whenever I see you go off with someone you don't even know!" I didn't bother putting Sakura into this even though she was just as uncomfortable as Gaara and me when Ino went off with a stranger.

"Why do you care!?" Ino shouted.

"Because I'm your friend!"

Ino shut her mouth and looked away. She seemed to be thinking about something. After a moment of awkward silence Ino looked at Sakura and me. "Whatever," she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Ino always hated being wrong. "Let's just drop this. I don't want to get into a fight before the trip. I'll back off Gaara."

"Thank you," I said.

Sakura stood up from the sofa and sat beside Ino. "Why don't you go check on Gaara?" Sakura suggested to me. "I want to talk to Ino."

I furrowed my eyebrows. What did she want to talk to Ino about that I couldn't be a part of? I was her friend too. First Sasuke, Deidara, and Haku were keeping the secret about the _slayers_ from me. Now Sakura and Ino were keeping a secret from me too? This was beginning to bug me. Maybe being with Gaara wasn't a bad idea after all. So I left to go find Gaara.

The Kazekage was pulling luggage out of the walk-in closet near the suite's entrance to the room. He turned around to find me watching him toss the suitcases out with ease. He smiled at me to greet me.

"That was quick," he said, standing up from crouching and walking up to me. When he stood beside me he asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Hopefully," I sighed. "They're keeping secrets from me."

"Why? I thought you were close."

"That's what I thought. Apparently I shouldn't be involved in whatever they're discussing."

"Well, they must have a reason for it. I don't know much about Ino but Sakura's a good person. If she could tell you she would."

He placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled again. The smile was so warm and kind that I found myself smiling back. I believed what he said was true and it relieved me. "You're right," I said, surprised that I agreed so easily. Where had this sudden calmness come from? Usually when I get upset, I stay upset for at least close to an hour. Only a few minutes passed and I was feeling as chipper as I did when I first walked into the suite.

Gaara removed his hand from my shoulder and I could've sworn that I saw sand fall from his palm. I could've been imagining it. There was no sand on Gaara and I doubted that he was carrying any. I let it go because I didn't find it as too usual.

Gaara and I talked for a little in the room. We talked about the beaches and the vast ocean that led out to Kirigakure and Kumogakure. He seemed happy about my enthusiasm for his country and kept enlightening me on the myths that lingered through the city on a regular basis. Apparently the Sunagakure people were big on mythology and folklore. What surprised me though was that the people only spoke of protecting themselves from the supernatural and they even made children songs about it. In Konohagakure the people spoke about how cool it would be for the supernatural to exist. Did the people in Sunagakure believe in myths and folklore? More importantly, do they know that creatures like that exist?

I asked Gaara if they believed in them. To my relief they didn't. It was just something that was passed down from their ancestors for generations and it never died. People laughed at the folklore and made jokes about the warnings.

My friends finished sharing secrets about a half an hour later. I never mentioned how offended I was that I wasn't involved in whatever they were discussing, and I didn't tell them what Gaara and I were talking about. We all sat by the windows sharing our high school memories with Gaara, who was intrigued. I noticed that Ino stayed near Sakura and I was left beside Gaara. I wouldn't have minded if it weren't for what happened earlier.

The anger was building up in me again as I recalled every detail of what went on between the three of us. That was when Gaara touched my shoulder and I realized. The anger disappeared and the sand was there again. It fell from his palm and onto the leather cushion of the sofa we sat on. My eyes widened as I stared at the sand and then up at Gaara. He wasn't worried at all that I figured it out. He looked… relieved. Like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders. How long had he been keeping this to himself? How long had he been keeping the secret that he wasn't human?

"Hinata," Sakura called. "It's almost four. Let's all go down to the airport."

"R-Right…"

I looked from Sakura to Gaara. He never took his eyes off of me. I suspected that he wanted to talk about it, but now wasn't the time. We had to leave now, but maybe later in Sunagakure we could discuss it when he wasn't busy.

On our way to the airport in Gaara's limo I called Sasuke to let him know that we were going to the airport now. Being in a limousine for the first time would normally excite me but not right now. Why was I so shocked that Gaara wasn't human? I knew a lot of mythical creatures and I knew one for years that I hadn't known was one until two months ago. _That_ should've been the shock of my life. Yet, why was the Kazekage of Sunagakure the most surprising to me? Was it because he was the most human out of all of them?

"We're here," the driver called back to us, snapping me out of my thoughts.

The airport wasn't crowded today. Not many people travelled on Tuesdays so I found Sasuke easily. He was standing by a pillar searching the room. I rushed up to him and before I reached him he turned to face me. I wrapped my arms around him and he did in return. When we parted I saw who he brought along for the trip.

Naruto Uzumaki and Deidara.

I waved at them despite the nervousness that I felt when I saw Deidara. The blonde vampire returned the greeting with a wave and used the nickname that I hated so much.

That was when Gaara, Sakura, and Ino walked up to us. Sakura and Ino had no clue what was going on but I felt uncomfortable immediately when my supernatural friends locked eyes with the Kazekage. Deidara, Sasuke and even Naruto the newbie glared at Gaara. Gaara merely studied them all and gestured us towards the entrance to the plane. He wasn't intimidated? And why were my vampires and kitsune glaring at him like that? More problems are piling on top of the old problems that still need to be resolved.

Sasuke, Deidara, and Naruto stuck near me on the plane. Deidara sat in the row next to mine while I was forced to sit in between Sasuke and Naruto without even getting an explanation as to what happened. I asked many times believe me, but none of them were spitting out an answer. Exasperated, I crossed my arms and sunk into my seat. Sometime after takeoff I looked back at Gaara who was sitting in the very back of the plane between his guards and I mouthed "sorry" to him.

He gave me a nod and dismissed it.

All of us landed in Sunagakure a day later. From above the city I could see that everything was made of sand. Well, not everything. Some of the buildings were made out of stone, but the sand caught my attention. I couldn't help but to admire the architectural work on the buildings. Some were spherical, some rectangular, and others were the normal square-shaped that you saw everywhere. I "oohed" in awed at its beauty. All of the sand glistened in the harsh sunlight and some of the sand was swept up by the wind. It left beautiful traces of sparkling sand drifting in the wind. This would annoy most people that sand was blowing through the air and smacking them in the face and stinging their eyes. But I liked it. And Gaara was both amused and thrilled that I enjoyed even the littlest thing that this city had to offer.

The Kazekage escorted us to the inn. To my disappointment it was square-shaped. I was hoping that it'd be spherical. Gaara laughed when he saw how disappointed I was. He promised that he'd make arrangements for me to tour a spherical building. I perked up immediately as soon as he mentioned it.

He left once we were settled in our rooms. It was a nice room but it didn't catch my interest like the rest of the city. The inn was called the Shodai Kazekage. Like Konohagakure, the Shodai Kazekage inn was named after their first leader. The first Kazekage's name was lost some time in history so it was just named the Shodai Kazekage. It wasn't a really impressive title but I wasn't going to complain. I wasn't even going to stay here for long. I wanted to explore.

I let Sakura and Ino know that I was going out without them and asked them to let Sasuke know that I was leaving. I needed to cool off. Seeing everyone there who kept secrets infuriated me. Gaara's sand may be able to calm me down but it didn't last very long. I needed to leave before I exploded.

The heat hit me hard as soon as I stepped outside. Sweat coated my forehead and drenched my clothes as I ventured through the desert. People stared at me as I walked through the city with curiosity. My skin compared to theirs was considered porcelain. The people here were all tanned from the sun and I was nowhere near tanned. My skin was still fair and untouched by the sun's UV rays.

After strolling through Sunagakure until I calmed down, I decided to enter a store. I needed water. Thanks to Gaara, I was able to trade my currency for Sunagakure's at the airport before we stepped out into the desert. I bought two bottles of water because even though my anger defused, I wanted to stay away for a little while. I wanted to think more about what went on between Sakura and Ino and between Sasuke, Deidara, Naruto, and Gaara. And I couldn't do that when my friends were all breathing down my sweaty neck.

Once I paid for the water I turned to exit the store. I put my hand on the knob to leave but something in my periphery caught my attention. Slowly, I turned around to see who it was. Whoever it was made me hesitate to face the person who took me away from leaving the store. But after swallowing hard and forcing myself to look behind me, I saw who it was.

A boy. A boy that looked like he was a year or so older than me. He was tall. Maybe close to six feet tall. His skin was also very, very similar to mine. In this scorching heat he looked porcelain compared to the natives. His hair was dark and very long. Longer than Deidara's hair. This boy's hair travelled down his back and rested right above his waist. The color of it was so dark that it came off as black but as I stared at it a little more closely I realized that it was actually dark brown. All of this caught my attention. He was an attractive boy. But what made me stop in my tracks was his eyes. They were so full of awareness. Intelligence. Boldness. They were also the same color as mine.


	10. Invitation to the Sand Part 2

Who was this boy? And why did he look so familiar? He obviously wasn't born here based on his complexion, and those eyes originate in Konohagakure so it's impossible that he was born here. Those eyes come from my clan, the Hyuga clan. But then, as I recall, Hyugas don't just live in Konohagakure. Many of my clansmen decided to migrate after my family got in the car crash, so they're everywhere. They are also here. But why did I get the feeling that this boy felt so familiar? I've never seen him around my childhood home where all of my clansmen used to live together. The fact that he felt so familiar was bugging me. I'm pretty sure I've never seen him before and he had a face that wasn't so easy to forget.

I found myself slowly approaching the familiar stranger who was standing by the frozen meat. My heart was beating rapidly and my breath was heavy and short. My body was trembling as I got closer and closer to the boy, and I hesitated to speak when I finally reached him. He turned to face me when he noticed my approach. Our eyes locked. A chill ran up my spine, but no trigger was pulled to help me remember where I might've seen him. He was a stranger. Just a stranger… But why did I have to keep telling myself that?

I swallowed hard. My pale eyes never left his that were the same color as mine, and I asked with a voice that was barely audible, "Have we met before?"

The boy's long, dark brown hair fell over his right shoulder gracefully and the shorter pieces by his face fell perfectly into place, framing his heart-shaped face as he turned his body to face me. He opened his mouth and spoke to me with a calm, intelligent voice that also sounded so familiar. "I don't believe we have." He then stared at me curiously. "Your eyes… They are like mine. I haven't met anyone here with those eyes."

A lump formed in my throat. I couldn't look away though. I kept staring at the stranger. "My name is Hinata Hyuga." I hesitated to ask for his name. What was I feeling? Was this fear? I had to push myself to ask for the boy's name because something told me that I had to know. "W-What's your name?"

He extended his hand to me to shake my hand. I took my eyes from the boy to look at his hand. I then looked back up at him. After a few moments of pure hesitation I took his hand. I hardly moved mine to shake his. He did all of the work. With a genuine smile full of kindness he said, "It's nice to meet you, Hinata. My name is Moya Minami."

Once I heard the boy's name it felt like a weight was lifted from my chest and all that I had feared was gone. All of that worry and hesitation I felt no longer seemed to exist. I didn't know this person and he didn't know me. Whatever I felt was a false alarm. Although, one wonder kept running through my mind; why was Moya's last name Minami when his eyes were white like a Hyuga's? A Hyuga changing their surname was unheard of and I doubted that any Hyuga throughout history has ever changed their name. This was a mystery for another time though. Maybe I can ease into finding out the reason for his surname.

"So Moya," I began. "Were you born here? You look nothing like the people here. Are you just a tourist?"

"No. I wasn't born here, but I have been living here for about seven years now. My family and I moved out here from Iwagakure to start fresh." Moya answered me with a soft smile that never seemed to leave his face.

"I can see why. It's really pretty out here."

I was about to go into the question about his last name when his cell phone rang. The smile left his face immediately and his gentle expression transformed into a serious one that read all business when he read the caller ID on his touch screen phone. He took few steps away from me to answer the call. He said little words like "Yeah", "I understand", and "Okay". He ended the call after that and returned to me saying "I'm sorry. I have to go now. My family needs me." He paused to extend his hand again. "I'd like to see you again, Hinata. Next time I see you we should hang out."

I nodded slightly with a gentle smile that he returned. I watched him walk up to the counter to pay for his items until he left the store. It was a brief encounter and I hardly knew him, but I wished that I could've spent more time with him. Our time together wasn't enough and for some reason I felt a little empty when he left me. I felt alone, abandoned. This was something that I was too familiar with (but not quite used to) and I immediately exited the store as soon as the loneliness crept onto me. I needed to get out of there. I needed to get away from there. Why did it suddenly hurt to be left alone? I didn't even know Moya and yet it hurt to be left behind by him more than any other stranger abandoning me for someone else. This made no sense at all.

It didn't take me long to get lost in the sandy city after I stormed out of the store. Gaara warned us that it was easy to get lost in Sunagakure but I got lost anyway. Nothing around me looked familiar and I was beginning to panic. Hardly any people were around to help either. I approached a few but they shrugged me off and continued walking, watering plants, or went back to doing whatever it was that they were doing. I had to walk aimlessly through Sunagakure until I found a spot that I thought I might've seen before. Only when I got to the spot, I soon realized that I had been walking around in circles. All I saw were spherical buildings and I soon found myself beginning to hate their shape that defied all laws of architectural constructing.

I ran my fingers through my bangs and wiped off my perspiring forehead. I drank both of my bottles of water empty and I was nowhere near the Shodai Kazekage. What if I never found my way back? What if the heat killed me before I got to the hotel or actually found a person willing to help? The sun was setting, painting the sandy city and buildings in its orange light and coloring the once blue sky purple and orange. It looked beautiful yeah, but the temperature wasn't dying down much. I couldn't admire its beauty with how bad I was feeling right now.

I was tired and hot. My body was drenched with sweat and I needed a seat. Lucky me I found one. I took a seat on a stone bench outside of a store that looked like a restaurant. I leaned my head back against the wall. I was so exhausted that I didn't care how uncomfortable it was that my ponytail was pressing hard into the back of my skull when I leaned against the wall. My body was sluggish and lethargic. I wanted to lie down. Hell, I might have to sleep here for the night and sleeping here didn't sound like a bad idea.

My eyes were getting heavy. I was on the verge of really falling asleep when someone called my name in uncertainty. I opened my eyes and faced the direction from which I heard my name being called to find my savior the Kazekage of Sunagakure, Gaara. He was with three guards this time and I didn't recognize them. The four of them just came from the restaurant.

"Gaara," I said in surprise. He said that it'd be a while before I got to see him again, but here we were meeting again the same day we separated.

"I was hoping to see you soon," he told me with a small frown on his stunning face. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the hotel."

"I've wanted to talk to you about that, too."

I stood up from the bench only to be met by vertigo. One of the guards caught me so fast by the arm before I went falling down to the ground that I jolted when he touched me.

I released a humorless laugh. "I guess that I've been out in the sun a little too long."

"Let's go back to my home. I need to take care of you before we talk."

His voice was full of so much concern that my heart fluttered and I felt myself blush. If it weren't for the setting sun everyone would've noticed.

All five of us journeyed to the mansion located at the dead center of the large city. It was surrounded by other buildings that looked like housing. I suspected that the bodyguards lived there so that they could have an easier access to Gaara. The Kazekage's house wasn't the largest building in Sunagakure, like I expected it to be, and I figured that it was placed here and constructed as small as it was to ensure the Kazekage's protection. It was spherical with plenty of windows and the roof was flat so that whoever was standing on top of it could see the city. At the center of the house was the symbol for wind in Kanji. Konohagakure's Hokage mansion had the symbol for fire outside of it too so I didn't find it unusual that the wind symbol was first thing that my eyes found on the building.

The guards escorted me to Gaara's office (because his room has the best air conditioning) and they sat me down in a comfortable, brown leather chair in front of Gaara's massive desk made out of mahogany. Gaara handed me water out of the mini refrigerator that sat near the door and the massive bookcase that towered over all of us. I thanked him for the water and tried not to chug it all down. As a child, my mother often scolded me for chugging down ice cold water after a long day in the sun. She told me that I'd get a stomach ache if I continued to do it. Naturally, I didn't listen to her and I got a stomach ache just like she said. Ever since then I drank my water carefully and slowly to avoid the not so pleasurable pain at the pit of my belly.

I was cooling off, but my skin was sticky and I smelled of sweat. Gaara never left my side and kept near me as if I was going to collapse any second. I wouldn't have minded if it weren't for me being self-conscious about my scent. Even though he lived here for sixteen years and has more than likely been around sweaty people every day, I wasn't used to people being near me with me smelling like this. At times like these I wanted to be alone so I could hop into the shower.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, concern thickly coating his voice. He mistook my heavy sigh of satisfaction with one of displeasure.

"Much better. Thank you so much, Gaara."

He studied me for a moment to make sure that I truly was fine. When he approved, he waved a hand to dismiss the guards so that he and I were alone. My friend was still worried about me but the concern was disappearing as the minutes ticked by. I could tell that he wanted to talk right now but he wanted to make sure that I was absolutely okay. It made me so happy that he was this worried about my health that I tried hard not to let out a giggle. He was so adorable.

The Kazekage rose from kneeling beside me to sit in the seat (which was identical to mine) next to me. He didn't look too happy when he took his spot beside me. In fact, he appeared to be thinking about what to say. He was coming up with a way to word what he wanted to talk to me about. I remembered him saying that he didn't have any friends and that I was his first. Is it because the civilians knew that he wasn't human? No. That couldn't have been it. The people here made fun of the supernatural and the songs that were passed down from their ancestors. If vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, kitsunes, gypsies, and water nymphs didn't exist to them, then whatever Gaara was didn't exist to them either. Why was he so worried? Am I going to be the first person to know about his secret?

"Hinata," he breathed, "you know that I am not human. You are the first to know this besides my late father and a handful of others. Not even my siblings know what I am." His emerald orbs locked with my pale ones. "If I tell you what I am, can you keep it a secret?"

I nodded my head while saying, "Of course. I won't tell anyone."

He gave me a crooked smile that faded as soon as it came. He hesitated to say what he'd been dying to tell me. When most people are nervous they speak rapidly and say their words in one short breath. Gaara, however, said his words slowly. Almost as if he'd be able to take them back if he regretted saying anything at all. So with a soft voice, Gaara told me, "I am a sand spirit."

He didn't say any more to watch my expression. I assumed that he wanted the words to sink in so that I could grasp what he just told me. I think I would have, like I did with meeting a vampire, werewolf, zombie, witch, kitsune, gypsy, and a water nymph for the first time, but I didn't know what a sand spirit was. The Kazekage noticed my ignorance and chose to enlighten me.

"A sand spirit is a being that has existed for hundreds of years in Sunagakure. In order to survive it needs a vessel to be its host. When I was born my father infused the sand spirit in me. Even though the spirit is considered a pure creature the people here feared the spirit. My guess is because they didn't know exactly what it was and how powerful it was. The people who were in with infusing the spirit inside of me kept this to themselves until they figured out what to do with me."

"If they feared the sand spirit, why infuse it with you to begin with?" I asked.

"The spirit was becoming restless because it was beginning to die after not having a host for so long. It was posing as a threat to the city and our people. I had just been born when my father, the Kazekage before me, made the decision to merge it with me. He thought that I'd make a good host because I had time to grow into it and learn how to use its powers to my bidding." He waved a hand in the air, leaving behind a trail of grains of sand that defied gravity by floating in midair. "I can do many things with this sand. Things that I can control and things that I can't." Gaara took his attention from the sand in the air to look at me. His expression was filled with pain when he was looking at the sand he conjured, but his face lightened a little when he recalled the first time he used his powers on me at the Senju. "Alleviating your anger was something that I could control, but I wasn't very good at it. The anger returned within minutes." He then brought up the time in the mall when I mentioned my fight with Sasuke. I had said more than I wanted to a stranger. "Pulling the truth out of someone and exposing their troubles is something that I cannot control. Having the sand spirit is a blessing and a burden all at the same time."

"Why is it a burden? You should be happy to have this gift," I said.

"Remember when I told you that only the people who assisted with infusing the sand spirit within me knew about it? Well, the members of that group did everything in their power to keep children away from me. Including my brother and sister." A haunted expression consumed his face as he told me about his lonely childhood. "A lot of the members who took care of me and the spirit were parents. I had no friends when I finally was able to go to school. All of the parents that escorted their kids to school and back home made sure to keep their children away from me. In turn, the other kids who didn't belong to the members began to ignore me, too. No one interacted with me. They wouldn't talk to me or come near me. They gave me hateful glares and watched me closely. No one liked me. I was alone." He rested his hands in his auburn hair and leaned forward looking down at the floor with eyes wide and filled with that same haunted look that materialized when he recalled his past. "Even now…" he gasped. "Even now… They all stare at me like that. Like I'm beneath them. Like I don't really exist. Like I'm a monster. Like I'm not human." Gaara cringed in his seat. He hunched over so far that I thought he was going to curl up into a ball to hide from the world, to hide from me. "They hate me… They've always hated me… I'm all alone here. I'm so alone."

My body acted on its own. I placed a hand on Gaara's back which made him wince. The haunted look in his emerald eyes still existed but it began to fade when he came back to reality. When he saw my face it all disappeared. It went from haunted to surprise. I was crying. More than I had realized. The pain Gaara was feeling was unimaginable. It obviously ran deeper than I realized and it pained me to hear about his past. His loneliness and the hate he had to endure were beyond anything I could possibly fathom. If it was possible I would take some of the harbored negative energy he had and place it in myself. Gaara knew how I felt but he couldn't shake the astonishment. No one. No one cared about him like I did. No one ever showed him the compassion and the kindness that I did. And this made Gaara cry, too. He cried hard and I let him bury himself into me as I comforted him in my warm embrace. I didn't want to let him go. I didn't want him to feel lonely ever again. I didn't want him to be hated.

The compassion I felt for him and the anger I felt was so strong that I ended up saying, "I won't let you be alone. Ever. Not as long as I'm around. I'll stay with you for as long as you want, Gaara. I won't go anywhere." I hardly recognized my own voice. It was so strong. So sure of itself, and it ensured Gaara too as I felt him cry so hard that his body shook in my arms and against my body. I wasn't just using those words to comfort Gaara. I meant them. Every single word. He needed someone to be with him. He needed someone who cared. He needed someone like me. But even though I said those words and felt so sure of myself, deep down I didn't really know if I could hold him to my word.

We stayed like this for a long time. It was close to an hour when my friend began to stir in my arms. His face emerged from my body with a red nose, bloodshot eyes, and red rings around his eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if he launched into hiccups any time soon, but he didn't. He rose from the chair and had a little trouble balancing himself. His eyes squinted from the light after concealing his face in the dark for so long. After he adjusted to the light from the chandelier he turned to look at me. He still looked sad to me, but there was something else there… It didn't take me long to realize that it was adoration. He saw me in a whole new light. He respected me and trusted me. For the first time in his entire life he discovered what a friend really was.

"It's late," he said. "Your friends must be worried. You should go."

"Do you want me to?" I asked, standing up from the chair. I had to catch my balance too as I noticed that my legs were asleep.

Gaara didn't say anything for a while. I thought he wasn't going to respond but he said moments later, "I don't want you to, but you need to. They're going to worry."

"Okay," I sighed, turned towards the direction of the door, but then stopped as I remembered something. "Gaara? Why were Sasuke, Deidara, and Naruto glaring at you like that at the airport? They wouldn't even let me near you on the plane."

"Oh, that," he said. He was barely audible and it took a while for me to piece together what he said. "It's normal. I'm a pure creature. They are impure. If they got to know me then they'd have a different view of me."

"But why wouldn't they let me near you?"

"You're their 'territory' and I'm a threat. The last thing that they would want is for you to fall into the hands of someone like me."

I rolled my eyes when Gaara said I was "territory". As far as I was concerned I was no one's territory. "How come they wouldn't tell me about this when I asked them?"

"Probably because they wanted to keep you safe. I've only known you for a few days and even I already know that the best way to keep you safe is by keeping you in the dark." A wry smile played on his face. "You're very stubborn and curious. You don't seem to realize how dangerous that is in this world."

I crossed my arms. "Is that also why my vampire friends won't tell me anything about the _slayers_? Every time I ask they change the subject or tell me to forget about it. Are they bad?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "You know nothing about them? They are the warriors of the pure creatures. They are the only breed of pure creatures I know of that uses their abilities to fight. Their natural enemies are vampires because vampires are the darkest of the impure creatures while _slayers_ are one of the purest." He cupped his chin in thought and was piecing words together in his mind to tell me more.

"So, _slayers_ aren't human? They're mythical? Why are they so strong? What are they exactly?" My heart was beating fast from excitement. I was finally getting the answers that I've been searching for.

He shook his head, making his hair bounce. "They aren't human. In a sense they are living dolls made by gypsies to slay all impure creatures. Gypsies began to create them with their light magic when vampires were reproducing by an extraordinary rate. _Slayers_ took out the vampires easily with the strength that was far superior to the nightwalkers. The _slayers_ won, of course, and as a reward, the gypsies granted the _slayers _everlasting freedom. They could do whatever they wanted. Live like humans, get jobs, and make families. The gypsies promised that all would be well for them so long as most of the _slayers_, mainly the men, continued to kill vampires."

I was silent for a while before I opened my mouth again. "The gypsies made them? What did they make them out of?"

The Kazekage's eyes never left mine. "They are made out of human volunteers, elves, and vampires." He watched my face twist into shock. Vampires? They were part vampire? Is that why no one wanted to tell me about the _slayers_? "It's impossible to tell the difference between a human and a _slayer_ through a human's eyes as is a young _slayer_ to be unable to differentiate between a _slayer_ and a human. Sometimes they can't even tell who's a vampire. It's one of the flaws that a _slayer_ has. They have to learn how to become a _slayer_ and to find their prey."

"Why?" I asked more to myself than to Gaara. "Why didn't they tell me? The _slayers_ want me dead back at Konohagakure! How could they keep this from me?"

"Because they want to protect you." Gaara's lock on my eyes turned from that glint full of intellect he always gave me when explaining something to me to that same adoring gaze he fixed on me when I comforted him. "And I can understand."

It made me angry still that the _slayers_ were a mystery kept from me by my boyfriend and vampire friend. How could they possibly think that keeping me ignorant about who the _slayers_ were would truly help me? I hated being kept in the dark especially if it involved me. I was really angry and it only increased when my cell phone vibrated in my back pocket.

It was Sakura.

Masking my anger I answered the phone call. "What's up, Sakura?"

"Finally!" she breathed. Her voice was shaky and I could tell right away that she had been crying. "I've been trying to get a hold of you. Where have you been?"

"I got lost in Sunagakure and Gaara found me. I'm at his house."

"Good, good." I then heard her call out to the rest of the crew telling them where I was and that I was okay. "Sasuke, Deidara, and Naruto went searching for you once the sun began to set but they couldn't find you. Ino and I tried calling your phone but it went straight to voice mail." She began to sob again and she gasped between some of her words. "We were so worried about you!"

"I'm fine now so don't… don't cry, Sakura," I told her. I always softened when I heard Sakura cry. It was rare for her to cry and she only did for a good reason. I guess my disappearance was a good enough reason.

"S-Sasuke is coming to get you…" I heard her sniffle and try to compose herself. "Just tell us the directions to get to Gaara's house and he'll be there soon."

I looked up at Gaara. His eyes were once again filled with sadness and loneliness. My phone was cheap so the words on the other line were often heard by the people around me. Once he heard Sakura say that Sasuke was coming he went back into that mode. The mode that told him to toughen up because he was going to have to spend another night alone even though it was obvious to see that he was deeply wounded by the pain loneliness afflicted upon him. I couldn't leave him. Not even if Gaara begged me to. He still needed me here with him.

"Sakura," I said, still looking at the Kazekage. "I'll come back tomorrow. I'm staying here with Gaara. Goodnight."

I heard Sakura argue with me but I hung up the phone before she got to finish. They were all going to be mad at me, but I didn't care. Not right now anyway. We had thirteen more days to spend time together. And losing one day with me won't hurt anyone. This will probably be the only time Gaara will get any company from anyone outside of the employees hired to protect him.

"Are you sure you wanted to do that?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah," I responded. "Got any guest rooms? And a change of clothes? My sticky skin is really annoying me and I really stink."

He smiled at me. "You don't stink, Hinata. Your perspiration actually smells floral."

"Unbelievable," I laughed humorlessly. Yet another trait I got from my mother. If I find any more I'll basically become her, and that'll be a terrible thing for me to have to endure. I've always wanted to be like my mother. She was the epitome of perfection, compassion, grace, and beauty. I always wanted nothing more as a child. Now that's the last thing I wanted. It already pains me to see my face in the mirror and to hear my own voice. The last thing I need is to smell like her or to become more like her through my personality. I used to be very timid. Now I've become bolder, unafraid to show my compassion for others, and always willed to sacrifice what I needed for what others wanted. This was just cruel.

Gaara and I took our time preparing to go our separate ways when we walked together to his room on the eastern side of the house. Gaara was uncertain about letting me sleep in the same bed as him when I asked, but after giving it more thought he agreed to my request. Delighted, I entered the room without him as the Kazekage took off down the hall to go fetch something from his sister's room.

Gaara's room was pretty and I definitely liked this room more than the suite at the Shodai Kazekage. It was much bigger and the en suite was bigger too. The first thing I did was go into the shower because I felt as though I couldn't admire how attractive Gaara's room was without feeling clean. While I was in the bathroom I heard Gaara enter the bedroom. He called to me and told me that he put clean clothes on the bed for me as well as pajamas. Not too long after Gaara reentered the room I returned to the bedroom from the bathroom wearing just a towel. My friend's face turned so red that I thought he was going to pass out. Had I known that Gaara wasn't used to seeing girls half naked I wouldn't have walked out into the bedroom. He sure seemed used to girls looking at him while he was half naked when I first met him.

Being the gentleman that the Kazekage is, Gaara kept his back to me as I dressed myself in the pajamas that he prepared for me. The entire time that I was dressing though, Gaara's face was still red. It was adorable and for the second time tonight my friend actually showed me his vulnerable side. It only escalated when we laid down together on his queen sized bed. Although his face was no longer red, it was now a pinkish color and his emerald eyes refused to look at me.

I fell asleep almost immediately when my head hit the plush pillow. I hadn't realized how tired I was until I laid down. My day was exhausting. I got lost, I found out about Gaara's childhood, discovered what kind of creature Gaara was, found out about the _slayers_, I learned a part of the origin of the _slayers_, and I also learned what the _slayers_ were made out of. I was grateful that Gaara told me more about the _slayers_, but I had the feeling that there was more to them. I wanted to ask him now that we were lying down together but Gaara would've told me everything I wanted to know in his office and more. I think what he told me was all he knew. Sasuke and Deidara know about them. Deidara has even killed a few of them. Now that I know what they are maybe they'll tell me.

I woke up the next morning feeling much better. I expected to see my friend lying next to me still, but he was gone and his side of the bed was cold. Without giving it too much thought I got dressed in the clothes Gaara prepared for me: a white T-shirt with swirling designs on it and khaki long shorts. After I got dressed I met one of the Kazekage's guards. He escorted me down to the dining hall for breakfast. Gaara couldn't join me this morning because he unfortunately had work to catch up on and I instantly expected that's where he went so early in the morning. Right after I finished eating the guard walked me back to the hotel. I was amazed at how far away I was from it. Gaara's house was at the center of Sunagakure. The Shodai Kazekage was about five miles south west from Gaara's house. I felt embarrassed at how poor my sense of direction was.

I thanked the guard when we reached the hotel. He left immediately and I entered the building. Sakura and Ino were nowhere to be found but the rest of the crew was sitting in the lobby. They looked angry which angered me. I should be able to hang out with whoever I wanted. I didn't need their permission to be with a friend. Maybe I could understand Sasuke being mad that I spent the night over at another boy's house, but he wasn't mad about that. Me sleeping at another boy's house was probably the last thing on his mind. They were all upset that their "territory" disobeyed them by going near the person that they were trying to keep me away from.

When I approached them they all stood up from the chairs they were sitting on to meet me. The man at the front desk wasn't there and I figured that one of them must've convinced him to leave so they could talk to me. My friends towered over me but I refused to be intimidated. I bet that I was angrier than the three of them combined so I spoke before any of them could scold me.

"So you're mad at me for disobeying you," I said that as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I think that you have no right to be. None of you do. You know how many secrets you kept from me? Well, I got some answers because you refused to tell me." I said this to all of them but I was looking at Sasuke as I spoke. "Gaara told me why you were all glaring at him at the airport. He said that it was a territorial thing. He also told me what a _slayer_ is."

Sasuke and Deidara's eyes widened. Naruto looked confused so I told him what a _slayer_ was. His eyes widened too. I even told him that they were out to kill me because I knew too much. Once I told Naruto that he backed away from our vampire friends to join me. I guess he agreed with me on this one.

"We were trying to protect you," Sasuke said to me and then he shot Naruto a quick glare for changing sides.

"How?" I asked, patience was wearing thin. "How could that possibly be protecting me?"

"We figured that if you knew what they were they'd kill you immediately," Deidara added. "We didn't want to risk you knowing too much."

"Why didn't you bother to tell me that? Why didn't you at least tell me that you didn't want me knowing too much?" My eyes went from Deidara to Sasuke. "Keeping secrets is part of the problem between us. It shows me that you don't trust me!" My boyfriend opened his mouth to say more but I stopped him. "I can't deal with you right now, neither of you. If you expect me to bow down and obey you with acquiesce then you're both mistaken. I need to know these things. I don't need to know as much as you do, but I need to know enough. If you both can't do that then…" I swallowed hard and held back my tears. "I can't be with you anymore."

"Hinata," Sasuke called, but I left out of the hotel before he got to say more. Naruto shot the vampires a glare before he followed me out of the building.

I was walking fast, trying to hold back tears. I had no idea where I was going and I didn't really care right now. I just wanted to get as far away from the Shodai Kazekage as possible. I was angry, confused, and sad all at the same time. Thinking of Sasuke and Deidara made me so upset.

"Hinata," Naruto grabbed me by the arm. "You need to calm down. They might've taken how to handle this situation the wrong way, but they really didn't mean to hurt you. You know that." Naruto leaned down to look me in the eyes. His ocean blue orbs temporarily pulled me out of my angered state. "Why don't we go to the beach to get your mind off of this? Sakura and Ino went there not too long ago and I bet hanging out with them will calm you down. Want to go?"

I bit my lip and sucked in air before I answered. "Yeah," I mumbled, "let's go."

Gaara mentioned that Sunagakure had a lot of beaches. There were about six beaches total here and they all sat on the eastern side of the country. Naruto used his nose to locate my friends and we got to the beach they were at within fifteen minutes. It wasn't hard to spot them. They were standing by the ocean in their swimsuits checking out boys. I also noticed that they had already gotten tans while I was still porcelain. Even Naruto got a tan.

Naruto and I went up to my friends who gave me a hug as soon as they saw me.

"Gaara gave you clothes huh?" Ino asked, looking me up and down with a grin on her face. "What were you two doing? Did he finally pop your cherry?"

My face became so hot that I thought I was going to pass out. I never told them that I wasn't a virgin and comments like that shouldn't bother me anymore because I wasn't a virgin anymore, but it was uncalled for and it threw me off guard. What's more embarrassing is that Naruto was here to hear her nasty comment. His face was a little reddened and he stared off elsewhere pretending that he didn't hear what Ino just said.

"N-No!" I said.

"Hmm, you should've," Ino told me. "Sleeping with the Kazekage, especially a boy as cute as Gaara, happens once in a lifetime. If I were you I would've fu-"

"Stop it, Ino," Sakura scolded. "We're glad that you're okay, Hinata. All of us were so worried about you."

"I'm fine," I said with a small smile. "Gaara took care of me."

"I bet he did," Ino said, face full of pride.

"I didn't have sex with Gaara. Even saying those words feel weird coming out of my mouth."

"You really should have," Ino persisted. "But I guess that's something I can educate you for another day. Right now we're watching a beauty that looks absolutely sexy lifting those heavy boards of wood."

Ino pointed to a boy wearing swimming trunks near a shack that had wooden boards lined up against the small building. The boy was loading the boards into a wheelbarrow and every time he picked up a board we saw the fine definition of his muscles in his arms and back.

I wasn't checking him out or anything. I was observing him. He looked familiar. After examining him for a few seconds it clicked when I realized who he was. I left my friends to approach the boy. As I was walking towards the boy I heard Ino tell Sakura and Naruto "She's on a mission." I ignored her and tapped the boy on the shoulder. When he whipped his head around to see who grabbed his attention, the long hair he had pulled up in a ponytail fell gracefully over his shoulder. He smiled kindly, showing all of his teeth.

"Hi, Hinata," he greeted.

"Hello Moya."

Moya wiped his sweating forehead with his hand and brushed back the strands of hair that were in his face. "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon. How are you?"

"I'm great," I lied. I then pointed to the wood that Moya was collecting. "What are you doing?"

"Oh this? I'm gathering wood for my parents. We're having a family gathering tomorrow night and I've been sent out to gather things for them to prepare for tomorrow."

"Do you need any help?"

"No thanks." Neji loaded the last wooden board in the wheelbarrow. "But you know what you could do for me that I would really appreciate?"

"Name it."

"You can go out with me tonight to dinner." My eyebrows rose in surprise. We just met and he's asking me out on a date? "It's not what you think," Moya added quickly when he realized what I assumed. "I'd like to get to know more about you. There's something about you that I can't shake. I know it's weird, but I feel comfortable around you, Hinata. Almost as if I've known you for years. You're kind of like the little sister that I've always wanted."

I let out a brief laugh. "Well, I guess that we can go out." I revealed the smile that had wanted to show itself to Moya as soon as I recognized him. "I feel comfortable around you too, Moya. What should I wear tonight?"

His beautiful smile widened. "Nothing fancy. You can wear what you're wearing now. Tell me where you're staying and I'll come pick you up."

"I'm staying at the Shodai Kazekage hotel."

"I'll come get you at seven okay?" Moya grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow and prepared to leave. "Be ready before I get there, Hinata."

"Alright."

I watched Moya leave the beach with the wood. When he was out of sight Ino came out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around my waist from behind. Her chin rested on my shoulder and her mouth formed into a smile. She hugged me tighter before she said, "I can't believe my innocent Hinata is exploring the variety of boys."

"It's not like that!" I told her, my face becoming hot once again.

"Oh come on! Sexy Sasuke, dangerous Deidara, gorgeous Gaara, and now the beautiful beach boy. Who's next? Nifty Naruto?" She turned her head slightly to look at me. "You even got yourself a date with the beach boy. You _cannot _tell me that you have no skills in dalliance and charm."

"I give up," I sighed. "Let's just have fun in the water, Ino."

"Sure, sure." She released me. "I can't wait to tell Sakura and Naruto about this."

I didn't bring a bathing suit along with me to the beach so I had to go into a store that was at the beach. Lucky me they sold swimsuits, so while I was putting on the swimsuit Ino was telling Sakura and Naruto all about what Moya and I were discussing. I was just hoping that she wasn't twisting the story. Ino has the habit of only hearing things that she wants to hear and telling people things that only she wants to tell.

When I left the store I tried my best to ignore Naruto checking me out. The store ran out of one-piece swimsuits so I had to get a two-piece bikini. It was white with lilac colored tropical flowers all over the breast area and the bottom area. I kept my hair up in a ponytail to try my best to not sweat too much. Unfortunately when I pulled my hair up that left more room for Naruto to stare me down like I was a piece of meat. Other men on the beach looked at me too and I tried even harder to mask my discomfort. Naruto seemed to notice the other men staring at me and he never left my side because of it. He let them know that he was the only male here that could look at me. I never let Naruto know how much I disliked that he watched over me and at me, but I'd rather have Naruto check me out than the strangers. If I told Naruto to back off no doubt that the other predators would approach me so I just let it go.

The four of us spent the morning and the afternoon at the beach. We swam in the ocean, had water balloon fights, ate ice cream, reminisced about middle school, and built sand castles. Naruto was terrible at building sand castles. Every time he tried to construct one it fell apart. Sakura, Ino, and I couldn't help but to laugh at him for his many failures. Because we laughed at him Naruto decided to surprise attack us with the water balloon fight. We fought for at least two hours and Naruto won, obviously. After the fight we all sat down on the sand with ice cream cones and reminisced about middle school.

All of us had been in the same classes all throughout middle school. Middle school was also where I met Ino. She was innocent back then and looked down on the sluts. Ever since the sixth grade Ino always said that she'd save herself for marriage, but that never worked out. In ninth grade, our freshmen year at high school, Ino told me and Sakura that she lost her virginity. After that she told me and Sakura about her sexual escapades weekly for a year.

Naruto was the class clown in middle school. He, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shikamaru Nara would get kicked out of class often because of their inappropriate behavior. They threw spit balls, tossed paper around, passed notes, slept in class, insulted the teachers, and never did their homework. It was fun to watch but I knew the reason behind Naruto's behavior. His parents died not too long before Naruto entered middle school. It was all a desperate act for attention.

The four of us sat in the sand until the sun began to set. Naruto led us all back to the hotel. As soon as I got through the door I went to the bathroom in my suite to shower. I brushed past Sasuke to enter the room. Once I was in the shower I scrubbed all of the dirt and sweat off of my body and washed my hair thoroughly. Ino blew my hair dry while Sakura picked out a new outfit for me to wear. I was going to wear the outfit Gaara let me borrow but it got stained with my sweat. I had to wash it.

"Pick out something sexy, Sakura," Ino called over the loud hairdryer.

"It's not a romantic date, Ino," Sakura called back as she dug through my suitcase, examining every piece of clothing she came across.

"It _could_ be," she mumbled.

Sakura pulled out the blue shirt that she bought me for Christmas and white jeans from the bag. The shirt fit my body like a glove and showed off my curves way too well, which was why I hardly wore it. Ino wanted me to wear something sexy. That shirt was the sexiest that she was going to get.

"Turn around and hold still," Ino told me. I faced her on the floor. My blonde friend picked up the pair of scissors beside her on the bed. She trimmed my overgrown bangs and removed the hair that fell from them on my face. "Now you're done. Hurry up and get ready."

"Thanks you guys," I said, immediately removing my clothes and putting on the ones Sakura picked out for me.

"Have fun," my friends told me when I finished dressing.

It was close to seven and I had to wait in the lobby. When I got to the lobby however, Sasuke was there. It was just me and him. The man at the front desk was nowhere to be found. Again.

"It's not a date," I told him. I knew this was the reason he decided to meet me here. "I met this guy yesterday and he wants to be my friend. That's all."

"You're not going to start dating him, are you?" Sasuke asked. He abandoned the chair to come to me. I felt myself step back which made him stop coming closer to me. Stepping away from Sasuke hurt him. The hurt flickered in his dark eyes as he looked down at me, but he quickly made the decision to approach me anyway. Sasuke took me into his arms and our bodies pressed hard against one another. "I love you so much, Hinata," he whispered, "I'm so sorry. I really am. Please don't leave me."

"Sasuke," I began. I didn't hug him back. I refused to. "I need to think about our relationship and I think you should, too." I somehow was able to place my hands on his chest to push him away but Sasuke didn't budge. He wouldn't let me go. "Before we try to fix things again we need to think things over. I can't stay with you if things aren't going to change."

"And they will!" he said against me. "I promise you that things will change. I'll tell you anything that you want to know. I promise. I was trying to protect you. I didn't mean to make you stop trusting me."

"But you did," I countered. My voice sounded so sharp and harsh that it not only startled Sasuke, making him pull away from me, I also startled myself. Maybe the pain of being kept in the dark about so many secrets ran deeper than I realized. "I stopped trusting you, Sasuke. And because I stopped trusting you I need to assess things. I need to think. I need to think about us." I removed Sasuke's hands from my shoulders. The next words that I said made my heart ache. "I think we should breakup."

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He moved a few paces backward and never removed his eyes from mine. I felt another surge of heartache within me when I saw how much pain I caused him, but I didn't let him see just how much it hurt me, too. I even did my best to mask the pain within my heart from his psychic powers.

"You're… You're serious…" Sasuke didn't say that as a question but I nodded my head anyway. "No. You can't be serious… You can't leave me… Hinata, I love you."

"And I love you, too!" I assured him. "But it's because I love you that we need to stop seeing each other. If we hope to possibly save our relationship, then we need to stop seeing each other. We aren't going to fix this if I can't trust you. You know that, Sasuke."

He stayed silent. Sasuke wanted to say more. He wanted to convince me to stay with him but there wasn't anything that came to mind. He was hurt and in shock, but those emotions went away instantly when we heard a car pull up. Sasuke's face twisted in anger and disgust.

"So you're going out with one of _those_," he said.

"Yeah," I responded coolly, "I'm going out with a human."

Sasuke didn't say anything else. He just stalked down the hallway with his hands stuffed in his pockets and returned to his room. As soon as Sasuke entered his suite Moya Minami came into the lobby instantly lightening the mood. His bright smile certainly made me feel much better, but the pain was still there.

"What's wrong?" Moya asked. "You look a little down."

He noticed? Not even Sasuke saw through my faux attitude and he knew me longer, had psychic powers, and is a vampire. Moya must be really observant to see through my façade right away. He hardly even knows me. "Nothing serious," I lied.

"Right," he said, clearly not believing me. "I'll cheer you up. Let's go have fun."

We stepped out of the Shodai Kazekage and I stopped as soon as I saw Moya's car. It was a beautiful, silver Ferrari 458 Spider. The paint shimmered in the setting sun and the orange and yellow lights casted their hues upon the car making it look even more badass. Moya had the hood down revealing the car's interior to the world. Black seats, black dashboard, and black wheel.

"This car definitely suits you," I said to Moya who was already moving towards his car.

"You like it? This was my sixteenth birthday present." Moya opened the car door to the passenger's side. "Come on."

I eagerly sat down in the car. Moya closed the door to my side of the car and took his place behind the wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and I think I was in heaven. The V8 engine purred like a kitten. It sounded like music to me and I couldn't stop smiling when I heard it start up.

"Looks like we share the same interest in cars," Moya said as he drove off.

"Yeah I guess so."

The desert air felt unexpectedly good blowing through my hair and on my face. It caressed my skin gently with its hot air and it tossed my hair around wildly. Even though the wind in my hair felt good, my long locks constantly blowing in my face got annoying after a while and I ended up tying it up. I guess Moya must have learned his lesson about letting his hair free while driving because his hair was also pulled up when it was originally down when he came to get me.

We got to the restaurant in no time at all. I wanted to drive a little longer but I don't think the ride would've been as pleasant with an empty stomach. On the bright side the restaurant was beautiful. It may not have been a fancy high-class restaurant but it could have passed for one. The outside was made out of grayish blue bricks instead of sand like the others surrounding it. The lights on the inside shined so bright that the yellowish colored tint of them poured outside and onto the ground, cars, and on passersby. The walls on the inside of the restaurant were an off-white color as well as the table cloths at each table. Long rows were filled with seating areas that many people were dining at, and chandeliers were hanging above almost all of them. It took at least ten minutes for Moya and me to be seated because of how busy the restaurant was today.

The waitress asked us what we wanted to drink and to both Moya's and my surprise we ordered the same drink, a Pepsi. Once the waitress left the table Moya immediately began talking.

"Are you sure you're okay, Hinata?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

It was a lie that Moya saw right through. Moya narrowed his pale eyes and fixed them on mine. "Just tell me what happened. It's just going to weigh on your mind."

I bit my lip and reluctantly stared at my friend who was waiting patiently for me to answer. He was right again. Am I that easy to read or is Moya just that perceptive? It didn't freak me out but it was quite odd.

Seeming as there was no way out of this one I answered him. "I, um, broke up with my boyfriend not too long before you came to pick me up." And there it was. The temporarily forgotten pain returned again with the memory. My heart was aching again and this time I felt the familiar lump appear in my throat whenever I was going to cry. How come it hurt to be reminded of the break up more than actually experiencing it? This was my first break up but I'm pretty sure it hurt less to think about their break ups with most people.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Moya told me sympathetically as he rested his elbows on the table and rested his chin on top of his folded hands. "What happened?"

"Just… I, um, stopped trusting him. He kept too many things from me that I needed to know."

"I really am sorry to hear that. Do you think you'll be able to fix your relationship with him?"

"That's the thing; I don't think I want to. He's really upset about it and I still love him but I don't think there's any turning back now."

Moya dropped his hands from his chin. "Well, you'll find someone better."

The waitress returned with our drinks, pulled out a notepad, and asked us what we wanted to eat. Once we told her what we wanted she jotted it down and then she walked away. I changed the subject as soon as the waitress was out of sight. Moya noticed me on the verge of tears so I had to stop the discussion on Sasuke's and my breakup. Not only that, I didn't want to cry in public.

"So, um, what's your family like?" I asked, taking a sip of my Pepsi and trying my best to hold back my tears.

A genuine smile formed on Moya's face. "My family's great. They're so kind and compassionate. They always cater to others before they take care of themselves. My mother, Hitomi, taught me a lot about common sense and willpower. And my father, Hisao, taught me everything he knows like combat skills, following my instinct, and making the right choices." He looked at me. "You should meet them. You'll love them."

I returned the smile. "They sound kind enough. Don't you have any siblings, Moya?"

"No but I wish that I did. My cousins are the closest thing I'll get to siblings." Moya kept his eyes on me. "And I guess that you are, too. I don't mean to freak you out because we just met about two days ago. But I can't help but to feel so comfortable around you."

"Strange enough as it is, I feel the same way."

Moya bit his bottom lip and he appeared to be thinking of something. After a short pause he asked, "Hinata, do you want to meet my family? You're more than welcome to come to the gathering tomorrow."

I hadn't expected him to ask me to meet his family but I smiled anyway and said, "Oh, um, okay. I look forward to it."

Moya removed his arms from the table when he saw the waitress approaching us with our food. "Good. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone."

As we ate our food we talked about more about Sunagakure. I also told Moya about Konohagakure and he seemed interested in it. Moya travels a lot. He's been to all of the great nations, except for Konohagakure, and he's been to some of the minor nations like Amegakure, Hoshigakure, Ishigakure, and Kusagakure. Moya said that he enjoyed travelling but it'd be more enjoyable if he wasn't brought along to help his parents with their job. Moya never named his parents' occupation but he did say that it was a family business that he was expected to take over should something happen to Hisao and Hitomi.

Whenever Moya spoke of his parents he always praised them highly. He clearly admired them and I sensed that he aspired to be like them even though going on the business trips weren't his favorite thing to do. It was actually quite adorable to see and hear how much Moya admired them.

Moya and I finished dinner about an hour later. Moya paid for the meal and drove me home. Just like the first time I got in the car, I loved the feel of the wind and how smoothly the car drove on the roads. It was disappointing when we got back to the Shodai Kazekage too soon for my satisfaction. My friend gave me his cell phone number before I went inside the hotel and he told me that he'll call me around noon when he's coming to get me.

I left my friend's Ferrari and entered the hotel. I was expecting to be met by Sasuke as soon as I came through the door again, but relief struck me when I saw the man at the front desk. No one was here to talk to me like all of the other times I walked through the door. So, sighing heavily, I went down the hall to go to my suite. I twisted the key in the door and tossed my bag on the floor after turning on the light switch. I planned on lying down on my bed after spending what seemed like a long day, but my plan was ruined.

I quickly closed the door, in fear that the desk clerk would find out that a boy was in my suite, and I stood in front of the door with my arms folded over my chest as I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart. I still haven't gotten over that I possibly might be in love with him and being alone in a room with him didn't help me much.

Deidara rose from my bed wearing the most serious expression that I've ever seen him make and he said to me, "We need to talk."


	11. Invitation to the Sand Part 3

"Deidara…" I breathed.

I didn't want him to be here, at least not alone with me here. Our other friends went somewhere and I'm suspecting that Deidara sitting on my bed wearing his most serious expression with no one here besides him and me might've been planned. What did he want to talk about though? After kissing Deidara a couple of months ago, it's been hard for me to determine whether I was in love with Deidara or not. And being alone in a room with him didn't make my feelings any clearer.

"Why don't you come sit down, Hinata," Deidara told me, patting the bed that was next to mine so that I was sitting across from him.

Hesitantly, I approached the bed and took a seat. My heart was beating wildly and I had no doubt that Deidara could hear it with his vampire ears. I swallowed hard and tried my best to fight through my nervousness.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked. I heard my voice trembling, which Deidara gave me a quick, small smile for.

"I, uh, wanted to apologize for the _slayers_ thing. Avoiding to tell you anything about them wasn't the right thing to do. I know that now." His eyes never left me. He took a deep breath and looked away momentarily as if he was preparing himself for what he was going to say next. His eyes then found me again. "To show you how sorry I really am I'm going to tell you about my past."

Pain flashed through my friend's eyes when he mentioned the past. And it wasn't just a minor pain that could be easily forgotten. The pain that appeared in Deidara's eyes was a pain that obviously haunted him for years, maybe for most of his life.

"Y-You don't have to do that," I said.

"But I want to," Deidara said immediately after I spoke.

He was serious. The pain that he had of simply mentioning his past consumed and troubled him greatly, and I saw it in his eyes. But he was willing to tell me. Did the worth of my trust really mean that much to him? Why? Because he loves me?

"Okay," I breathed. I shifted my weight on the bed not because I was uncomfortable, but because I felt anticipation and fear. I had been waiting and wanting to know about Deidara's past but I hadn't expected it to haunt him this much or even at all. Yeah, I expected there to be a lot of death out of all the years that Deidara had been living, but that all heals within time. And Deidara had a lot of time to heal. I got the sense that death wasn't bothering him though. It was something else. Something traumatizing.

My blonde friend drew a deep breath. "It was the year of 1080. I was seventeen living in the land of Iwagakure. My life was pretty simple. My father worked as a scientist and my mother was his assistant. I was planning on studying to be a scientist as well. My parents intrigued me with all of the stuff that they discovered." Deidara looked down at the floor. "My parents were witches and so I was also born a witch. My parents were studying other creatures like vampires, werewolves, and the _slayers_ that were recently created by the gypsies in Kirigakure. They made a lot of progress and came home with more news and discoveries every day. They were more thrilled than I was. But they were too enthused by their work and began to use guinea pigs." Deidara's hands began to fidget and he never took his eyes off of the floor. "I was one of their guinea pigs. I was an experiment. Their first. And they used me like a lab rat."

I studied my friend who refused to look at me. He was still haunted and it took a lot of strength to tell me about his past. However, the vulnerable state that he underwent was now turning into anger. Deidara held a grudge against Kana for dying and he got over it not too long ago, so maybe he was still grudging against his parents for using him in their research. Recalling the events fueled his harbored rage.

"I didn't expect my parents to use me as a guinea pig. I thought that they brought me into their lab to show me all of the progress they made. I was wrong." My friend ran his fingers through his hair that was hanging freely, and let out a sigh. "I was restrained to a table with other creatures next to me. There were ones that I recognized and ones that I did not. I remember the fear pulsing through me when my mother took blood from the vampire beside me and injected it into me. I remember the pain that surged through me when the blood fused with mine and transformed me. I remember how my senses were heightened for the first time, how my eyes throbbed in pain from the lights, and how I was overwhelmed by the blood seeping from the victims around me. I remember my parents' twisted smiles from accomplishment when they saw the success… I remember how I wanted to kill them for betraying me and turning me into an abomination." Deidara had difficulty finding my eyes for what he was going to say next. "The vampire DNA wasn't all that they were intending to use on me. They were so excited that the vampire blood worked and that I was now half witch and half vampire that they decided to inject me with the DNA of other creatures around me, and there were a lot. I was given werewolf, genie, imp, fairy, sylph, cockatrice, and chimera blood. They intended to give me more, but the effects that the creatures had on me was greater than the restraints. With strength that I didn't know that I had, strength that I wouldn't even dream of having, I broke out of the restraints. In a blinding rage I killed both of my parents." Deidara's voice became so cold and flat that I shivered when he said, "And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed their screams and pleas for their lives. I enjoyed how I played with them mercilessly and laughed at how pitiful they were. I enjoyed biting into their necks for the first time and tasting their delicious, succulent blood. But most of all I enjoyed soaking my cold hands in their warm, red blood and watching the life fade from my parents' eyes as I did it. It was exhilarating. And I wanted to do it again."

I shifted on the bed again. I was afraid. Deidara's voice had gone from frightened to cold too quick for my comfort. His tone was so cold, so flat, and so hard that I didn't even recognize Deidara for a moment. What was even worse was that he had a pair of eyes to match it.

"I wanted to feel the thrill of causing death and watching people slowly die under me again. In order to do that I had to leave. The _slayers_ heard of my crimes and the drastic decrease in population in Iwagakure, so I had to flee. I ended up in Konohagakure 133 years later and met the priestess in training, Kana Oshiro. We became friends; I fell in love with her, tortured her, raped her, and turned her. It was at that moment that I realized that I had become a monster. I loved Kana, but I enjoyed the pain I caused her, and was ecstatic when I watched her break down when I transformed her. I loved every minute of power that I had. I loved that Kana was weaker than me and that she was going to suffer for eternity because I turned her into part of the same monster that I was… But even after all of the blood that I shed, all of the terror that I spread, it wasn't enough. I wanted more." My friend was looking at me now. My heart stopped and my body froze with fear when Deidara's icy gaze locked with mine. The victim. I was a victim, or, at least, I was terrified to become one. Deidara looked like he wanted to hurt someone right now, and I was hoping that I wasn't going to be the person he wanted to hurt.

"Vampires have a special chemical in their saliva when they bite into their victims. It's called endorphins. I never used it because I liked the screams, and most vampires did. It's used to numb the pain that the meal feels when they're chomped into… I discovered that sometime after Kana ran away from me that it's not just used for numbing." Deidara rose from the bed. If I wasn't still paralyzed by the fear I would've left the room because when Deidara leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Endorphins are also used to create a false pleasure. Sometimes even an orgasm," I would have ran.

I choked on my words when I tried to get them out, but after a few attempts the choking ceased. "Deidara, what are you planning?"

He didn't answer me at first. I don't even think he was breathing as he stood inches from my face. But when he finally responded, the cold, flat tone was gone. It was replaced with a hard tone full of overwhelming desire. "Remember when I told you that I love you so much that it hurts to look at you? Well, I can't take it anymore," he told me. "I want you, Hinata."

I was about to rise from the bed when Deidara pushed me down on my back. In seconds he was on top of me and his fangs dug into my neck. In an instant I felt it. I felt the pleasure. It was so overwhelming and so powerful that I released a loud moan immediately. It washed over me and consumed me. I wanted it. I loved the feel of the chemical, but I knew that this wasn't right. I knew that I had to get away.

"No!" I shouted. The plea didn't come out like I wanted it to. Instead it sounded like a desperate moan. And it sounded exactly how I felt. I was desperate for the pleasure. I didn't want to leave it, but I had to. So I pushed on Deidara's face and somehow got him to remove his fangs from my bleeding neck.

I couldn't get out from underneath him because Deidara was back on me holding me in place with his super strength. His eyes met mine again and I was entranced by his hypnotic gaze. Deidara held the sides of my head and allowed his thumb to gently trace my lips as he looked at me with his eyes full of lust. The touch was simple and not meant to arouse me, but the endorphins still lingering through my bloodstream made it hard for me not to moan. Once the moan overpowered me and released into the air, Deidara fixed me with a gaze full of longing. I think he was planning to stop when I shouted but my moan was the trigger. He couldn't help himself. The desire he felt was too great. His lips were on mine in a second.

He kissed me with such fervor that I let a few moans escape between us. And Deidara's body grinding against mine did not help. It made things so much worse for me. My body possessed a lust that I did not think was possible for anyone to own. I didn't want to feel this way but it was getting harder and harder to tell the vampire above me that I didn't want this. We were getting closer and closer to removing our clothes, and closer for me to settle this burning desire overtaking me. Deep down, I knew that I did not want this. I would never have done this with Deidara, especially not after breaking up with Sasuke earlier today, but the desire within me was too strong. With each passing moment, it was getting harder for me to resist and to shove him off.

Deidara abandoned my lips for my neck. He sunk his sharp teeth into my flesh, releasing the chemical that I was high on. I moaned again. That was when Deidara decided that it'd be a good idea to prop my legs over his back and nestle himself between my legs. I didn't object. But I should have even though I really didn't want to because that feeling alone left me filling the room with my desperate noise, which in turn convinced me not to refuse what Deidara was doing to me.

The noise encouraged the vampire to grind even harder against me. I grabbed onto his long hair and pulled as I released yet another moan. It felt so good. So, so good. Almost too good to be true. Deidara had to be feeling the same way. I felt him through his jeans and the heat that came along with it.

"More…" I gasped. I found myself dragging my nails along Deidara's back. I even dared to drag along his thighs, which was a mistake on my part.

The vampire grabbed a firm hold on the back of my head and pulled my hair so hard that my head tilted back and I released a strained sound. He dug his teeth farther into my neck, drawing more blood and bringing more pleasure. I screamed, but not because it hurt. I screamed because it felt so good. It felt better than anything that I've ever felt before. It was intense and completely overwhelming, but by no means did I want to stop. I wanted to continue. I wanted to go on for as long as I could. I didn't want this to end and my moans showed that. I haven't felt this amazing in a long time and I could hardly believe that Deidara of all people was the one to make me feel this way. Not even Sasuke could do this and he and I were sleeping together. Unlike Sasuke, this was fun. This was pleasurable. This made me feel alive. I loved this.

But at the same time, I knew that this was not me no matter how much I told myself that I enjoyed whatever _this_ was.

"No," I said, sounding breathless. "No more."

I pushed on Deidara again despite how badly I thought that I wanted to continue what we were doing. I was breathing hard and I felt worn out. My body was still tingling from the new sensation running through my bloodstream and it was so hard not to grab a hold of my blonde friend above me and kiss him again.

Deidara detached himself to look at me. A smug smile came upon his face when he said, "Now you suddenly want to stop, Hinata? I'm not so sure that I should listen to you. After all, those sounds were absolutely lovely and the faces that you were making were extremely erotic."

"E-Enough," My voice still sounded just like I felt despite what I was telling Deidara. "I don't want anymore. This isn't right."

"You're lying," he said as he caressed my face, making me try extra hard to stifle an oncoming moan. "I saw just how much you enjoyed it."

I tried to get up again but Deidara pushed me down. This time he held my arms above my head and fixed me with a smile that indicated that he enjoyed this.

"Let me go. I don't want anymore." This time it was true and Deidara knew it was, too. He didn't release me though. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want you to be in love with me."

I was baffled. "What? Why?"

"You're too good for me. I may appear to be a good guy and I just might be, but what I did to you just now is what I had been dreaming about since the day I saw you. This dark desire was living inside of me long enough now and I wanted to settle it." Deidara licked the blood on my neck, making me quiver. "You taste a little too sweet for my liking but that's alright."

"I don't believe that you're a bad guy," I argued. "I saw it. I saw the humanity in you at Anko's lair and in the cave with Temari when you told me that you loved me and when you kissed me," I told him.

"And all of it was true. I love you, Hinata. Kissing you is incredible and it makes me happier every time I plant my lips on yours. I get butterflies whenever I see you. I even enjoy hearing you laugh, but… this is who I am. I am a sadist and a little psycho. I've done this for centuries without even batting an eye. You don't want a monster like me in your life. I'd pin you down like this and do whatever the hell I wanted to you endorphins or no. In fact, if I didn't love you then I would have taken advantage of you because it's so hard not to right now. You have no idea how much I'm holding back." Deidara traced my lips gently again. "And it's taking a lot to not dive in and do what I had been dreaming about to you."

The vampire gave me a twisted smile and got off of me. He made his way for the door but I stopped him by saying, "If you want me to stop thinking about loving you then fine, but I won't forget about this. This was the worst thing that you could have possibly done to me. Where do I even begin to forgive you?" I asked. "And when you said that you'd tell me about your past to earn my trust again it worked. This messed it up again."

Deidara placed his hand on the doorknob. "Good. Now I will know for certain that you won't fall in love with me for real." He left the room with a smile on his face.

I was shaken by what Deidara did and what I was feeling during the encounter. How could he do that to me? How could I feel that way? How could I left him do that, and on the same day that I broke up with the boy that I'm still in love with? It was a false pleasure but it felt so good. Just thinking about it made me crave for it and I wanted more. I wanted the heat of Deidara grinding against me, the sensation of his fingers tracing over my lips, the wonderful pleasure the endorphins shot throughout my entire body, and the overwhelming feeling that took over me near the end… I wanted to experience it all again, but I wasn't going to. I needed to forget all about it even though it was hard to when the lacerations on my neck were-

I touched my neck to find no proof of injury. The bleeding had stopped, too.

I quickly went to the en suite to check and make sure. There was no wound but the blood from when the wound still existed coated my skin in its sickly dark hue. I wiped off the blood with a washcloth and groaned when I noticed that the shirt Sakura bought me was stained from the blood. I had to throw it out now. Great.

Once I finished cleaning up, I laid down to go to sleep. I fell asleep pretty fast and woke up briefly to see my friends walking into the room. We didn't speak because they thought I was sleeping and they went to bed, too. The next time when I woke up, it was close to noon. My eyes widened when I saw the clock and I hopped into the shower immediately. Moya was coming by around noon to take me to meet his family. Those endorphins must have done more than create a falsified pleasure. I went to bed at eleven and woke up almost twelve hours later. I've never slept for so long before in my entire life.

After forty-five minutes later, I finished preparing myself for Moya and headed for the lobby. I met none of my friends and I suspected that they went out again. I was hoping that they took Deidara with them because I didn't feel like seeing him or being alone with him again. Just thinking about it made me shudder and made a desire in me that I wanted to forget stir.

When I reached the lobby, the front door to the Shodai Kazekage opened to reveal Moya. He smiled at me, making me instantly feel better.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah."

We exited and got into his beautiful Ferrari 458 Spider. When we buckled in, Moya said, "I told my family that you were coming to meet them." He then started the car and drove off. "I think my grandmother is the most excited to meet you."

I forgot to bring a hair tie and in turn had to fight a battle with my hair to stay out of my face. "Oh yeah? How sweet. Is everyone already there?"

"Yeah. They arrived not too long ago. In fact, it was my grandmother who sent me out here a little early to get you. She was, as I said, excited to meet you."

I smiled.

We pulled up in Moya's driveway too soon for my satisfaction. The house was huge, and his family owned two garages with six cars, including Moya's, parked in the driveway with two in the garage (I suspected the ones in the garage to be his parents'). How many people are here? How big is Moya's family? It made me nervous to discover how many were inside waiting.

"Come on," Moya motioned towards the front door.

I followed him and walked behind him when he opened the front door. We walked down the hallway that owned very expensive looking marble flooring to a room with French doors on the right side of the hall. I swallowed hard when Moya placed his hands on the door handles and pushed the door open. I was met by a room of five people chatting friendly with one another.

One of the men with jet-black hair and a bulky build stopped talking to approach Moya. "About time you got back," the man said, putting Moya in a playful headlock. He turned to me. "Is this the girl?"

"Yeah," Moya responded from within the huge man's hold. "If you let me go, Uncle Kaoru, I can introduce you to her."

Kaoru released him and Moya straightened himself up.

"This is Hinata Hyuga," Moya told everyone. He then told me, "This brute is my uncle, Kaoru Minami."

A new voice broke the silence that fell when Kaoru put Moya in a headlock. A woman with red hair and big breasts approached us. She said, "Now Moya, don't call your uncle a brute no matter how true it is."

"Shut up, Akari. You talk too much," Kaoru said.

"Whatever, little brother," Akari said. "I'm Akari Ikeda and that man is my husband, Daichi Ikeda," Akari told me as she pointed to a man across the room with blonde, wavy hair. The man waved back at me and then continued to play cards with a girl with jet-black hair similar to Kaoru.

"You're so pretty," another new voice said to me. I turned to face a woman with black hair, but it wasn't jet-black. "I'm Tsubaki Minami, Kaoru's wife. That girl over there playing cards with Daichi is our daughter, Nanase."

"It's nice to meet you all." I tried my best to hide my nervousness but it was hard. I was saved by Moya when he grabbed me by the hand and led me to the kitchen.

"I want you to meet my parents," he said, happiness glazing over his eyes.

Moya took me down a hallway on the farthest side of the living room. Within seconds we were in the kitchen and faced by a man and a woman. The man's hair was black and he had very masculine features. The woman had platinum blonde hair with a very feminine face and build. They looked a lot like dark and light or salt and pepper. They contrasted and Moya looked nothing like them. At all.

"H-Hello," I said. I extended my hand to the man. "You must be Hisao." I then extended my hand to the woman after Hisao shook my hand. "And you must be Hitomi." Hitomi shook my hand as well.

"Moya's told us a lot about you," Hitomi said. Her voice was very warm and kind. It reminded me of my mother, and when it did my heart ached a little. It only worsened when Hitomi pulled me into a warm hug. "I was looking forward to meeting you."

I wrapped my arms around her, too, and swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "Me too. Moya speaks highly of both of you."

"Doesn't surprise me," Hisao said, smacking Moya on the back and then resting that hand firmly on his shoulder. Hisao smiled with pride. "My boy's going to take over the business one day. I expect him to speak highly of what we do."

"Dad," Moya said, face turning pink from embarrassment.

"Son, let's not talk about our job while I'm here. You know how much that job reminds me of your father." A voice that belonged to an elderly woman sounded through the kitchen. I turned around to face a woman taller than me with silver hair and a smile kinder than Hitomi's. "Hello, Hinata. My grandson's told me about you. I'm Emiko Minami but you can call me grandma if you'd like."

I swallowed hard to rid myself of the lump in my throat. I never had a grandmother before. I had a grandfather, but he wasn't kind and caring enough for me to actually consider him a grandfather. He was all about rules and he was very austere. But even though I never really considered him to be my grandfather, I still cried at his funeral when he died.

I approached Emiko with a smile. "It's nice to meet you… grandmother." The name sounded rusty coming out of my mouth and I didn't like saying it. It didn't feel right and I almost hated saying it.

Emiko pulled me into a tight, warm hug. I hugged her back instantly and felt the tears inevitably coming. I had to take a few deep breaths to make them go away. I haven't felt warmth like this in a long time.

When Emiko and I parted she continued to hold onto my hand. With a warm smile, she said, "Let us go join the others in the living room."

I nodded and looked back at Moya. I trusted Emiko, but I still felt better with Moya with me. Moya got out his father's hold and went with us back to the others. I was delighted that I was a welcoming member of this family, but I think that Moya was even more delighted. He had told me once before that I was the sister that he always wanted; I guess that since his family accepted me it was as if I really was his sister.

That is until we entered the living room with the others. Kaoru immediately asked Moya when he saw the three of us return, "Are you and your girlfriend going to join us in playing video games?"

Moya's face turned pink. "Hinata is not my girlfriend, Uncle Kaoru. We don't even see each other that way."

My face felt a little hot, but it went away when I saw Nanase roll her blue eyes at me. What was that all about? I wasn't going to say anything but Daichi noticed and asked, "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," she mumbled.

Daichi was going to leave it at that but Kaoru pressed on. "If you got something to say, say it."

Nanase put the cards down and fixed her father with her blue eyes full of attitude. "Why are you all so accepting of her? She's a stranger."

Kaoru folded his huge arms over his huge chest. It amazed me that he could do that seeming as his body is so big. "We should be kind to all strangers, especially one that enters our home."

"I won't be nice to her. I don't trust her."

Tsubaki stepped in but was cut off by her daughter.

Nanase said, "In this family we always fight to see if the stranger is worthy enough to enter this family. That's how it's always been. That's what we did with Daichi when he told grandma that he wanted to marry Aunt Akari, it happened with Aunt Hitomi, and that's also what happened when you wanted to marry mom." Nanase turned her eyes on me. "I want to fight her. She's not worthy enough to have Moya's affection if she can't beat me."

"Enough," Emiko said, releasing my hand. "Nanase, that's _not _how we do things. Hinata is a human. We're _slayers_, professional _slayers_ at that. Daichi is a _slayer_, so Hisao, as the oldest of the three, fought him. Same went for Hitomi and Tsubaki when I fought them. It wouldn't be fair if you fought Hinata. You know that."

As a response, Nanase rolled her eyes. Kaoru and Tsubaki went over to her and began scolding her for being rude and disrespectful to Emiko. I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. I was too shocked by the fact that the Minamis were _slayers_. I was in a den of _slayers_. All of them were _slayers_, even Moya.

Obviously Moya and the others didn't want me to know because Akari said, "Mother!"

"What? She was going to find out sooner or later. Might as well tell her now."

Emiko was about to delve in to tell me what a _slayer_ was, but I said in a voice calmer than I felt, "I know what a _slayer_ is."

I expected someone to ask me how I knew what a _slayer_ was, but the Minamis just made sounds of approval. Is it a good thing to know about the supernatural? Back in Konohagakure the _slayers_ wanted to kill me for knowing too much. Here it's okay? I couldn't help but to find it odd and a little relieving.

"I guess that means we can talk about our kills," said Hisao as he came into the living room with Hitomi wearing a large smile on his face.

Everyone excitedly gathered in a circle on the floor at the center of the room. As Moya and I were walking over to the rest of the group, Moya told me, "This happens all of the time. Everyone comes together and brags about their kills. Uncle Kaoru brags the most, of course. Don't let the gruesomeness disturb you."

I gave a wry smile. "I'll try."

Moya and I sat next to each other, but sure enough, Nanase took the other side of him. She rolled her eyes at me before sitting. I did not let her know that it bothered me and paid attention to Kaoru's story as he delved into his tale.

"So, there I was," he began, moving his arms and looking around the circle for dramatic effect, "trapped underground while the city slept. I was cornered by three vampires and there was no way for me to escape. I was badly injured and I had lost my stake. All I had on me were two darts full of werewolf poison…"

Kaoru's story was interesting, but I could not get my mind off of the fact that Moya was a _slayer_. Gaara was right. They are a lot like humans and you can't distinguish between a _slayer_ and a human. I glanced at Moya who was intrigued by his uncle's tale. Moya's so kind that it is hard for me to imagine him killing anything. In my periphery I caught Nanase glaring at me. When she noticed me looking at her, she turned back to her father's story. I just met Nanase and I already know that she enjoys action. She probably likes to kill, too. I can imagine her fighting vampires and getting the job done, which worries me. Despite Emiko telling her that fighting me was not fair because I am human, I have the feeling that she might disobey her. It might not be a fight, it could be something else. But my gut tells me that it isn't good whatever it is.

"… As the last vampire was running away from my combative prowess," Kaoru continued, "I shot my final dart at the monster right in the neck and it fell to the ground, screaming as the poison ate through its neck."

"Did you put it out of its misery by simply killing it?" Hisao asked.

"No. I let it die slowly."

"Nice," Akari praised as they gave each other a high-five.

I think that I was the only person in the room who showed signs of discomfort. Even though the vampire was evil, and killing them is their job, I still found it wrong that Kaoru let the vampire die in agony. I thought _slayers_ were the good guys.

"What's wrong?" Nanase said to me, interrupting my thoughts. "Too gruesome for you? Or do you actually like vampires?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. Now everyone's attention was on me. I felt my face getting hot as I searched for an answer. Of course I liked vampires and I thought it was wrong that Kaoru let one die slowly right in front of him, but I certainly couldn't tell any of them that.

"N-No, I don't like vampires," I lied. "I just never knew that there were so many ways to kill a vampire. I actually was intrigued by Kaoru's story."

Nanase opened her mouth to say more but Kaoru cut her off. "You ought to teach your girlfriend more about vampires, Moya. It's a dangerous world out there."

Moya's face twitched in annoyance. "Uncle Kaoru, Hinata is not my girlfriend. But I will take you up on your suggestion to teach her more about vampires. Are you interested, Hinata?"

I nodded my head eagerly, making sure to smile brightly. I really didn't care to learn more but I had to keep up with the ruse. Nanase seems to be suspicious. And since Nanase doesn't like me I'm sure that she won't have any problems with researching who I've been hanging out with for the past six months.

"I don't know why everyone is so eager to hook Moya up with this stranger. Even if they did get together she still wouldn't be family," Nanase said with a smug smile on her tanned face. "Moya's not even biologically related to us."

Moya's mouth dropped in disbelief. I guess that this is also something that Moya did not want me to know.

Tsubaki shot up from the floor, grabbed Nanase by the arm, and yanked her out of the room. Kaoru followed close behind them wearing a face scary enough to make me cringe even though the expression was not directed at me.

"What is going on with that girl?" Hitomi said more to herself than to anyone in the room.

"I have an idea," Daichi said. "She's jealous."

"It doesn't matter if she's jealous," Hisao said. "That was out of line."

"I don't know about Tsubaki, but Kaoru will handle it," Akari said. "Acting like that around Kaoru is dangerous. Nanase just dug her own grave."

"Kaoru will straighten her out," Emiko said. The old woman turned to me. "I'm sorry. Nanase is usually a very sweet girl. I don't know what has gotten into her today." Then Emiko turned to Moya. "I know that you didn't want anyone finding out about you being adopted, but…"

"It's fine," Moya said. "I bet it was obvious anyway. I look nothing like my parents. Only a fool wouldn't question it. Besides," Moya turned to me, "I'd rather have it be Hinata to discover that I was adopted than anyone else."

All I could do was give him a crooked smile. I didn't know whether to be glad that he trusted me so much or to be uncomfortable.

"Would you like to know the whole story?" Hitomi asked me.

I felt my mouth open slightly but no words came out. I looked back and forth from Moya's parents and settled my eyes on Moya. "S-Sure," I responded.

"Ugh," Akari said, making her way to her husband's lap. "I don't want to hear this. I still have nightmares about that day. Go somewhere else to talk."

Hisao sighed at his younger sister's words and motioned Hitomi and me to the hallway. Moya decided to stay with his grandmother, Akari, and Daichi but I wished that he came with us. I didn't know what to expect. Akari freaked me out a little when she said that she still had nightmares. Knowing me, I might have some, too.

Hisao and Hitomi gave each other a quick glance. Hitomi then wrinkled her brows and stared at the marble floor. "I guess I will begin," she said. The woman took a deep breath and found my eyes. "Seven years ago Hisao, Akari, Daichi, Kaoru, and I went on a mission sent from Konohagakure to Iwagakure. Our goal was to help a few _slayers_ in the area to subdue some vampires that had gone across the border with documents from the Hokage. We were going to meet in Taigakure, but…" Hitomi exhaled to gather herself. "We came across a scene… A car had been crushed by a truck. Ambulance and police were surrounding the area, so we had to take a different route… That was when I sensed it."

"S-Sensed what?" I asked. My heart was beating so fast and so hard that I thought that I was going to pass out. Moya's history sounded too familiar and I was afraid to hear the rest.

"A vampire with a young _slayer_," she answered. "It was not too far from where we were, so we all decided to check it out. At the back of a small cave we saw a vampire feeding on Moya. Other than the lacerations on Moya's neck, it was clear to see that Moya had been a passenger in the car that had been crushed by the truck. And the burns and cuts on the vampire was evidence enough that it was the one who caused the accident."

"Rumor has it that _slayer_ blood can heal a vampire ten times faster than human blood as well as give them unnatural strength stronger than a _slayer_. The wounds on the vampire were pretty bad, so we assumed that it took Moya in order to save itself," Hisao explained with disgust never leaving his face.

"We killed the vampire and took the boy. He was unconscious so we couldn't ask for his name. The only other option was to return him to the site of the crash. However, when we got there everything was cleared out. We did not know who the ambulance and police were affiliated with, so Hisao and I had no choice but to take Moya back to Iwagakure with us while the others went on ahead to Taigakure."

Hitomi took another deep breath while my hand found my chest and clutched it. My heart hurt and the pace picked up considerably. My breath had also become shallow and rapid as I waited for Hitomi to finish.

"Moya did not wake for several days," Hitomi said. "But when he finally did, he had no memory of what happened. He had no idea who he was, either. The doctors said that he had a severe case of amnesia and his memory may never return. Despite that, after he recovered the doctors asked us if we wanted to adopt him because he had no identity and we had no way of finding his home. Unable to bear children of our own, we adopted him and named him Moya." Hitomi smiled softly at the memory, but it was short-lived. "We took him home with us in Iwagakure, but he kept screaming in his sleep from nightmares. This happened for many nights and we had no clue what to do… Emiko eventually decided that we move, so we did. We moved here to get a fresh start."

Hisao opened his mouth to say something else, but I cut him off. I did not recognize my own voice. I sounded hollow, desperate, and in pain all at the same time. "What was he screaming in his sleep?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment and then Hisao answered me. "As odd as it is, he was screaming 'Hinata'."

My eyes widened as my knees locked, the ache my heart carried increased, and the familiar lump appeared in my throat along with burning eyes. My body entered autopilot and made its way back into the living room where Moya was. I approached him and said nothing. I just looked at him to drink in his features. The porcelain skin that refused to tan, the long, dark brown hair that flowed gracefully in the wind and whenever he moved, the voice that bore so much intelligence, and the eyes. The eyes that were the same exact color as mine. The eyes that only existed in my clan. How? How could I have not noticed as soon as I saw him? Why did I not notice as soon as I saw him? He was my blood.

"Hinata?" he asked, worry being the highlight of his voice. When his warm hand rested on my cheek I realized that I had been crying. "What's wrong?"

I drank in his features more. I just could not get over how blind I had been. Even though I wasn't ready, I couldn't stop myself from telling him what I had just discovered.

I opened my mouth to tell him everything when a little girl about fourteen years old with jet-black hair perkily walked in. At the same time Kaoru, Tsubaki, and Nanase returned.

"Megumi," Tsubaki said. "Where have you been?"

"I was hanging out with a friend. Sorry mom," she said apologetically. She perked up again and said, "I brought him home with me so you get to meet him." Megumi then motioned for the stranger to enter the living room. When I saw him my mouth dropped.

It was Sasuke.

I took a step toward Sasuke to get him out of here, but strong arms pulled me away. Moya pulled me behind him and pulled out a stake. Looking around the room, I noticed that Megumi was suddenly behind her mother and the other _slayers_ were readying themselves to kill the threat. Everyone was about to pounce on Sasuke. I felt as though I had to stop them, so I opened my mouth when Sasuke telepathically told me, _"No. Don't say anything to endanger yourself. I can handle this."_ I bit my lip and furrowed my brows to show Sasuke that I got the message.

Noticing that Sasuke was staring at me, Moya stood directly in front of me so that Sasuke was forced to look at him. Still staring at Sasuke, Moya said to me, "Don't worry, Hinata. I'll protect you with my life."

I couldn't help but to wince when he said that. After losing him once I don't want to lose him again. Between life and death, I'd throw my life away to save his in an instant. Sasuke is no threat so I don't have to worry about it, but the _slayers_ are a threat to him. I'm afraid that I might have to blow my cover to save him.

I was so worried about Sasuke that it took me a while for me to realize that I felt someone staring at me, so I followed where I sensed eyes on me. Nanase was staring at me with widened eyes and mine widened in return. She must have discovered that I know Sasuke. This is bad. If she tells the other _slayers_ then-

"What the hell are you doing here, vampire?" Hisao demanded.

Sasuke didn't flinch. Instead, he steadily took his eyes off of Moya to look at Hisao. The cold glare that Sasuke gave Hisao sent shivers up my spine and I found myself taking a step back. It was amazing how easily vampires can change their expressions and emotions.

"It was not my intention to come here," Sasuke said with a voice so cold and hard that I would not have even recognized the voice had I not seen Sasuke speaking. "Had I known that I was walking into a den of _slayers_, I would not have entered. I will be taking my leave now."

In the blink of an eye, Kaoru was blocking Sasuke's path with the stake resting on Sasuke's chest. "Hold on," the large man said. "What were you doing with my daughter?"

My vampire friend hardly spared him a glance. "I was not going to eat her, if that's what you were thinking. I don't eat children, let alone a _slayer_."

"Then what were you doing?" Kaoru tapped the stake against Sasuke to scare him but he was unfazed. Why is Sasuke being so nonchalant about this?

"We were talking. Then Megumi suggested that we go somewhere else to talk since the place we were at was getting too crowded." Sasuke's eyes found Megumi. "I wish that I knew this was a trap."

"It wasn't a-" Megumi tried to say, but was cut off by the "enemy."

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke looked up at Kaoru. "Just let me go and I will never return. I promise."

I held my breath. Sasuke remained still and nonchalant. Kaoru, as well as the rest of the _slayers_, held their positions. They were ready to pounce and I couldn't tell if they were waiting for Sasuke to attack or if they were going to attack when Kaoru decided to. Either way, I felt my body getting ready to jump in front of Sasuke.

"_Do. Not. Move,"_ Sasuke told me. And then, like the first day I met him, my body did what he wanted me to. My urge to jump in front of him ceased and I was stuck. I couldn't even talk.

I panicked silently, but it ended when Kaoru removed his stake from Sasuke's chest and said, "Alright. Leave. Don't come back. If I see you in my territory I'll kill you right on the spot. I won't even care if we're in public."

"Understood," Sasuke said. He then left the building and disappeared into the night.

"What the hell was up with that one?" Akari said, putting her stake away. "He wasn't scared at all."

"Maybe he wanted to die," Hitomi said.

"A vampire that wants to die? Never heard of one. He wasn't even that old," Emiko said. "Monsters like vampires don't want to die. They wreak havoc because they want to see others die."

"I don't know, mother," Hisao said. "This one felt different."

Daichi scoffed. "What do you mean? That this one might actually have feelings?" The way that Daichi said "feelings" pissed me off. Why do _slayers_ think that vampires don't have feelings? Sure most of them are sadists and heartless, but the _slayers_ are proving to be more sadistic and heartless than the few that I met. The Minamis letting Sasuke go was the most human thing that I've seen them do since I've been here.

"Vampires don't have feelings," Tsubaki said. "That's impossible."

"But what if some do?" Moya asked.

The Minamis looked from one another with wrinkled eyebrows. Then Hisao spoke up. "Then we cut them down anyway. A vampire is a vampire and vampires are monsters. You know that."

Moya furrowed his eyebrows and released a sound of disagreement from under his breath.

Moya isn't like the rest of the Minamis. Looking at the current situation and how everyone is handling it, it really is obvious that Moya was adopted. Moya has a different set of morals and a different view of justice. His way is admirable. It reminds me so much of how my father used to tell us to be merciful on our enemies and to forgive those we despise no matter how cruel they are. Moya really is a Hyuga.

"Moya," I said. "I need to talk to you."

All eyes were on us, which annoyed me beyond belief, but I ignored them and focused on Moya.

With a slight nod, he said, "Okay."

We walked outside together. Now that we were alone, the emotions that took over me when I found out Moya's true identity returned. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes and looking at his familiar facial features. His hair is even as dark and silky as I remembered.

I swallowed hard and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out. "Your name is not Moya Minami," I blurted out. "Your name is Neji Hyuga and you're my cousin." He opened his mouth to speak but I continued so that he wouldn't detest. "It was seven years ago. My father, mother, little sister, you, and me were coming back from Iwagakure to go back to Konohagakure when, what I assumed was a drunk driver, hit us. My mother, father, and sister died on impact and I blacked out. When I woke up in the hospital in Konohagakure I was told that everyone died and that they couldn't preserve their bodies." I began to choke on my words. "I thought that you died, too. The police told me that you did, so I believed them. But you're alive. You lived…"

I was too busy crying and blinded by tears to notice Neji's expression. My body jumped and I stiffened when Neji let out a sharp, "I'm not Neji Hyuga. That's not who I am. My name is Moya Minami."

"Y-You're Neji. You're my cousin. We played together since birth. We ate at the same dinner table. We even shared the same bed sometimes," I argued, ignoring the terrible aching my heart possessed.

"I. Am. Not. Neji." Neji clenched his jaw, crossed his arms, and gave me a hard look in the eyes.

"You are! You have amnesia. If I take you back to Konohagakure then I'm sure you'll remember. I'll take you home-"

"Hinata, that place is not my home." Neji then gestured to the house we were standing in front of. "This is my home. My family is here… You're not my family. I don't even really know you."

Ouch. That hurt. "H-How can you even say that? I-I'm your cousin, Hinata. We've known each other all of our lives! I know you better than anyone and you know me better than anyone! Believe me!"

"I'm not who you say I am."

"You're in denial!" My voice was shaking now. "You're my cousin. You are… Just come to Konohagakure with me. We'll settle everything there!"

"Enough!" Neji shouted with a voice so sharp and loud that I flinched. "I think it's time for you to leave. Thanks for coming over." Neji walked up the steps to his house and then looked back at me as he opened the door. "I think it's best if you don't come back here, either."

The welcoming light that the house once possessed disappeared. I no longer felt welcomed. Nanase was right. I was a stranger and I couldn't actually belong to a family that wasn't my own. No one there wanted me and I'm sure that they never did… But one of the members belonged to me and I'd fight anyone for him. Neji was mine and I was going to get him back. Even if it meant me dirtying my hands, I'd take that road to get him to realize that he was nothing like them and I was his only family.


	12. Invitation to the Sand Part 4

After finding out that Moya was actually my cousin, Neji, I found myself walking back to the Shodai Kazekage thinking about nothing but him. I still could not believe that I didn't recognize him as soon as I saw him. The boy that I knew seven years ago looked exactly like Neji does now, just older. Even some of their mannerisms are the same, like when he got mad at me for telling him that he was my cousin. Neji always clenches his jaw, crosses his arms, and gives you a hard look in the eyes. I didn't show it then, but my heart hurt even more when I saw him do that. When we were kids that always annoyed me, but now it takes my breath away because I actually got to see him do it again.

I wanted to turn back to talk to him. I wanted to see him again. I wanted to look at his face, hug him hard, and breathe in his familiar scent. I wanted to tell him that I loved him and I never forgot about him. I wanted him to tell me that he remembers everything and that he'd come back to Konohagakure with me, to our home… But according to him, Konohagakure was not his home. I was not his cousin. He was not Neji Hyuga. He did not know me and I did not know him. The Minami family was his family. Sunagakure was where he belonged. Killing vampires was his job even though his "family" did it brutally and mercilessly and he did not believe in doing it their way. I was nothing to him. I was just an inconvenience.

The warm tears spilled down my cheeks and they had no intention of stopping. I wanted my cousin. I wanted him to remember me. And now that I know that he's alive, I don't think that I will be able to return to Konohagakure without him coming with me. I know that he told that he wasn't coming with me because this place is his home, but I can't leave him here. This is not his home. This would not be his home and he would not be with them had he not lost his memory.

Right now he's probably telling everyone how crazy I was for telling him about his true identity. Not that it really mattered. No one there really wanted me there, especially Nanase. I bet that she's happy that I won't be around anymore to "take her cousin away."

I was walking slowly, so I wasn't too far from the Minami household when I heard a familiar, beautiful voice calling out to me. It said, _"Come to the park, Hinata."_ The voice was so enticing that I had to follow it.

In less than three minutes I arrived at a playground. No one was here besides a man sitting on a swing. I decided to sit on the swing beside the man and realized that it was Sasuke. He looked upset. Depressed even. Back at the Minami house when Megumi brought him in, Sasuke was very nonchalant about the _slayers_ surrounding him. He didn't even care that they were going to kill him. At the time, a part of me thought that it was an act to hide his fear, but now I think that he really didn't care if he died.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I've been thinking. I've been thinking a lot actually," he said in a low voice. "Our break up was for the best and I've come to accept that."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"… Remember when you invited your friends over to the church for the first time and you said that I only see you as Kana? Well, that was true. I only saw Kana. I never truly saw _you_." Sasuke looked me in the eyes. "I'm sorry. Our relationship was a lie. Kana was the love of my life and I never got over her. You were a substitute."

"You led me on for four months?" I asked. Now not only was I upset about the Neji-not-remembering-me-thing, now I was also angry that Sasuke led me around with false words and feelings. I even lost my virginity to him because I loved him and I thought that he loved me, too. I regret ever doing it with him. I wished that I could take it back.

"Please don't be angry," Sasuke said to me, sensing my feelings. "I know that everything I did was wrong and you have every right to hate me, but I had my reasons."

"What reasons? You used me. All to fill in for Kana." I sighed and massaged between my wrinkled brows. "If she was so great, why don't you talk about her?"

"I've been meaning to. It's still hard for me," he said.

I could feel his gaze on me but I refused to look at him. "It's been 300 years, Sasuke. How could you have not gotten over her?" My voice was getting louder with each word.

"When you turn into a vampire everything is heightened. Your sense of smell, your sight, your hearing, your nerves, your taste. Emotions heighten, too as well as prolong. When you become angry it's actually rage. Happiness is substituted for elation. Sadness is traded for melancholy. I've been grieving for Kana for three centuries and I think I'm just now getting over it."

I released a long sigh and then I stared at him. "Tell me about her. Tell me about Kana, the girl that everyone loves so much. What was so special about her? How did you fall in love? Why did your brother kill her?"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to sigh. "Do you want me to tell you the whole story?"

I nodded. "I think that I deserve to know."

"Alright, but pay attention because I'm only going to tell it once."

"Go on," I said as I leaned forward when Sasuke delved into his history.

"_Sasuke," my brother, Itachi, called. "I am going out for a while. The Hokage assigned a hunting mission for me outside of the village. I will not be back for a few nights."_

"_Another one?" I asked. "This _slayer_ stuff is becoming an annoyance. I hardly ever get to see you, brother."_

_My brother rested a hand gently on my head and ruffled my hair. "I promise when I get back I will spend time with you."_

_I pouted when he removed his hand. "I am still unsatisfied."_

_He smiled at me kindly. "You can always let me teach you how to become a _slayer_. It runs through our blood. I know that father would be disappointed if I did not at least teach you one thing."_

_Itachi walked over to the dining room table and packed a stake into his worn out trench coat along with a few daggers slathered in werewolf poison. The trench coat belonged to our father who was killed by a pack of vampires two years prior. Our mother had been with him at the time and was killed with him. Since then, Itachi had no choice but to take care of me. Itachi had wanted to teach me how to become a _slayer_, but I rejected the offer every time. I was never interested in officially becoming one._

"_No thanks, brother," I said. "I prefer to be as human as possible. The last thing I need is to be called a freak by the villagers. If they found out what we were I do not want to dream about what they would do."_

_Itachi closed his coat and made his way to the door. I got up from the chair in the living room to walk him to the gate that led out of the village. We did not say much to each other. We walked in silence. As we walked, I could not help but to notice that the village woman were staring at my brother. Based on my brother's looks, athletic abilities, and gentlemanly personality, he somehow earned the "Ideal Husband" title. Every woman wanted him. His long, black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail; my brother was not bulky like most _slayers_ were. Instead he had more of a lean build. His dark eyes, that were darker than mine, saw through everything. So not only was he the "ideal husband", he was also the "ideal _slayer_." Every woman wanted to have Itachi, and every _slayer_ wanted to be like Itachi. I could not help myself but to be a bit envious._

_We reached the gate and my older brother noticed my scowl immediately. He knew what I was scowling for, too, so he poked me on the forehead and smiled warmly. "I may receive stares of adoration and acknowledgement, but I do not give them the same stares in return. Worry not, Sasuke. I am not going anywhere. I will not leave you for them."_

_I felt my face getting warm and anger boiling up inside me. My brother was the only one who could do this to me. "I am just irritated that everyone has to look at you every time you leave the house. How did you get me being afraid of you leaving me out of the annoyance I feel for them looking at you?"_

_He smiled at me and rested the hand he used to poke me with on my head. "You do not see it now, but if I were to leave or die, you would be very lonely."_

_I smacked his hand away. "Why would I care about that? I would be just fine on my own."_

"_I do not believe that for a second. All of that pride that you carry will be your downfall one day." He turned to leave the village. "I will bring back a present for you when I return. See you soon, Sasuke."_

_I watched my brother leave Konohagakure. When he was out of sight and out of earshot, I mumbled, "See you soon."_

_Normally, women do not catch my eye unless there is something unusual about them. But when I left the gate to return home I came to an abrupt stop when I saw a woman. This was a woman that I have never seen before. Long, beautiful hair that shimmered in the sunlight flowed around her and framed her face. She owned skin so fair that she made even the fairest woman in the village look dirty. She had eyes so full of kindness and knowledge. She also appeared to be around the same age as me. Sixteen._

_Whenever I do see a beautiful woman I do not approach them. This one was different somehow. I found myself being drawn to her. Kind of like she was calling to me. Whenever I looked into her pale eyes it was like I was being sucked in. She was pulling me into a trap, but I had no urge whatsoever to try to escape her hypnotic hold. I wanted to go to her._

_I approached the mysterious woman who possessed a supernatural beauty, kissed the soft hand that she extended to me, and continued to stare into her eyes. Then, with a voice even more bewitching than her eyes, the woman spoke to me. "I am Kana Oshiro. I am pleased to meet you." She then cocked her head to the side and stared at me curiously. "What is your name?"_

_Kana asked for my name kindly, but it felt more like a command. I would not have responded in a normal situation, but this was not a normal situation. I could not ignore a beautiful voice like hers even if I wanted to._

"_Sasuke Uchiha, my lady," I responded with a voice so lifeless that a chill ran up my spine._

"_My apologies," Kana said, removing her hand from my hold. "I forgot to turn off my compulsion."_

_It was like a switch went off in my mind when Kana shut off her compulsion. She was still beautiful, the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen, but I was no longer drawn to her. Not only that, the bewitching quality that her eyes owned disappeared completely._

"_Compulsion?" I repeated. "You are a vampire?"_

_She did not hesitate to respond. "Yes."_

"_Then you are a monster. I do not want anything to do with you." I turned to leave, but her words stopped me._

"_We are not all monsters," she said. "Some of us were forced to become like this. I was once a priestess of a shrine in Tanzaku Town before I was forced to turn. My intentions are not ill. Believe me."_

_I do not trust vampires. I never did. But something about Kana made me believe her. She was not using compulsion, so I truly did trust her. Was it her face? Her charm? Neither of those deemed so. Maybe she really was a good person._

"_You look sixteen," I said. "But how old are you truly?"_

"_I am 500 years old. I am old, I know. But the one who turned me is even older than I. That monster is 650 and is still roaming the earth, killing those he sees fit. He is searching for me, so I am on the run. I came here in hopes of escaping him for good, and to return to a life without fear."_

_I technically was not a _slayer_ since I never learned how to be, but my brother did teach me how to study people to see if they were lying. Kana was not lying. I was confused. Itachi told me that vampires did not have affectionate emotions, but Kana was proving that to be false. Was my brother wrong? Or is Kana somehow deceiving my observation? She seems to be very knowledgeable, and she must be since she is 500 years old, so she has to be astute enough to be able to deceive me._

"_How long have you been here?" I asked._

"_A week's worth. And I must say that there is not much to do here."_

"_I know, but it might get interesting soon for you. _Slayers_ fester everywhere in this village."_

_Kana cocked her head to the side and stared at me with curiosity again. "Why do you say "_slayers_" with such disgust and discontent? You too are a _slayer_, are you not?"_

_My eyes widened. "H-How do you know that? I am not even trained."_

_The woman frowned. "Unfortunately I know many things. It comes with being alive for so long."_

"_W-Well, do not stay out here for too long. You are sure to be spotted."_

_I felt myself blushing whenever her kind eyes met mine. I could not get over her beauty. It was so unreal. But what was even more unreal was that she appeared to be looking me over with adoring eyes. Many women found me to be attractive, but they were all average or too old. Kana was certainly out of my league and I felt as though I was not worthy enough to be noticed by her._

"_Your face," Kana said, pulling me out of my thoughts. She placed a warm hand on my cheek and stared adoringly into my eyes. My breath caught when she stood so close to me that our bodies were nearly touching. "You are very handsome, Sasuke."_

"_I… I forgot that vampires can read minds."_

"_Worry not. I do not do it often." She removed her hand from my face and I instantly missed the warmth from it. "I do not look at faces. Personalities are what attract me." Kana turned to leave, but then turned back to look at me to say, "I like your personality, Sasuke." Then she left._

_My heart was beating fast and I felt how burning hot my face was. Did she just flirt with me? A woman as beautiful as Kana has taken a liking to me? It seemed impossible, but after how she looked at me and spoke to me, it just might be true. I did not know how to deal with this. With a _slayer_ for a brother and having _slayer_ blood within me, it was taboo to make friends with a vampire, let alone fall in love with one. But these butterflies in my stomach proved otherwise. I was taking a liking to Kana the vampire, and I had no clue how to make these new feelings stop. If Itachi, or any other _slayer_ in Konohagakure, found out about this then they would have Kana's head and mine. In the _slayer_ world, a _slayer_ falling in love with a vampire was the second greatest crime that we could commit. The penalty for it was death for both the _slayer_ and the vampire._

_I took a deep breath and looked up towards the sky. I needed a drink. A drink strong enough to take me from reality for a while and for me to not think about these troublesome feelings at the pit of my stomach and in my heart. I needed to get the image of Kana out of my mind before I do something that I will regret later like kissing her or sleeping with her. Being drunk would make a normal person do those things, but, as long as it is me, being sober is a danger to Kana. As long as I was sober, these taboo thoughts will constantly swarm through my mind._

_I made my way to the closest _slayer_ tavern to get a drink. I was hoping to drink alone, but my friend was there drinking and motioned me to joined him. Groaning, I sat beside him at the bar and ordered my usual, Scotch whiskey. It is hard for _slayers_ to get drunk, so the bartenders serve drinks to minors. And with the job that all of us have to do, all of the things that we have to see, alcohol is a necessity._

_My friend rested his head on my shoulder and sighed. His white hair covered his face and he stared at me with his purple eyes. He continued to hold his grape flavored vodka as he leaned more of his body into me. It did not take me long to find out that this dumbass was drunk._

"_Get off of me, Suigetsu," I said with a frown._

_He gave me a goofy smile and leaned in too close to my face for comfort. "I have not seen you for so long, Sasuke, that I forgot what you looked like," he laughed and then, after taking a sip of his vodka, Suigetsu leaned his entire body on mine and nuzzled my face with his own. People around us began to stare and whisper. That irritated me and I pushed Suigetsu off. Unfortunately, my friend was an affectionate drunk. Talking seemed to never be enough for him. He had the urge to touch whoever he was familiar with whenever he was intoxicated. I did not mind the touching because he did not carry ill intentions behind it, but out in public was a different case. People always stared and whispered, assuming that both of us were homosexual, which was taboo in both the human world and the _slayer_ world._

"_Not here," I hissed at him in a hushed whisper. "Do not touch me in public."_

"_But, Sasuke, I love you so much, and I have not seen you for so long. It takes a miracle for the Hokage to tell the Mizukage to send me here for a hunting mission. He always requests my older brother, Mangetsu."_

"_That is only because Lord Hashirama Senju does not trust you," I told him as I took a sip from the whiskey that the bartender handed me. "I would not, either. All you do is swing your sword around without having an actual target while your brother does all of the work. Hell, I would not even call you for emergencies if we were low on men."_

"_Why are you being so mean? I am an excellent _slayer_."_

_As a response, I grunted as I sipped more of my whiskey._

"_What _is_ going on with you?" Suigetsu asked. As he said each word, he was inching closer and closer to me. "I know you are mean, but not this mean. Care to share your feelings?"_

_I sighed. If I was going to get Kana out of my mind, talking about her proved better than getting drunk. Not only that, Suigetsu was the only person I could talk to about Kana. If I talked to Itachi then he would find out right away that Kana was a vampire. _Slayers_ naturally have good intuition, but my brother's intuition is so keen that it scares me sometimes. I would not even have to say her name or describe her for him to know that she is a vampire._

"_I met this woman," I told Suigetsu. "A beautiful woman that I had never seen before. I think she took a liking to me and she flirted with me. Ever since we parted I cannot stop thinking about her."_

"_How sweet. You got yourself a girlfriend," my friend sang against my arm. "But what are you doing here? You should be with her."_

"_Because if I do not get drunk I will continue to have dirty thoughts about her."_

"_So?" Suigetsu snorted. He sat up and rested his head on the counter. "In this day and age we do not live very long. Sleep with her. Have fun." His next words obviously were not meant for me to hear, but, him being drunk, I heard every word as if he wanted me to hear them. "Losing your virginity might make you a nicer person. Too bad it will increase your pride, though." Suigetsu took another sip of his drink, spilling most of it on the counter and on himself._

_I laughed at him and said, "Go back to the inn, Suigetsu. Your brother will be angry if he has to come here to fetch you for the mission."_

"_You are right. I should leave. Bye, Sasuke."_

_My friend got up from the counter and staggered a little before he caught his balance. The balance that he obtained was short-lived, though. Suigetsu walked crookedly out of the tavern and stumbled on the staircase that led up to the exit. When my friend got outside I heard him puking his guts up. It was a little evil of me, but I smiled against my glass of whiskey when I heard him vomit._

_I finally had peace, but by the time that I started feeling intoxicated the sun was setting. It took about ten more bottles of whiskey and five cups of vodka to finally get to where I wanted to be. I left the tavern at nightfall with the intention of going home to sleep, but I got distracted._

_Unfortunately, even though I was not trained, _slayers_ naturally have hearing that is said to rival a vampire; sight that allows us to see in the dark better than a cat, and reflexes that defies the law of physics. So when I heard a scream, I jumped from the sound and made my way over to the source of it. When I got to the scene I halted and my mouth dropped._

_In the dark, a man was being eaten by a vampire with dozens of other bloody bodies surrounding them. The man made a few strangled sounds before his body went limp. Even though the man expired, the vampire continued to feed on its victim. It only stopped when it heard me step on a branch. Its head looked up to see who was there and both of our eyes widened at the same time._

_It was Kana._

_Her body froze and she dropped the body. I dared to approach her even though it was very likely that she would run away. I was very lucky that she did not when I finally reached her. Blood was all over her face, hair, clothes, and hands. Her eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight as she looked up at me, and the scarlet colored blood made all of the features on her face stand out. I know that it is sick to think like this, but the blood made her look so much more beautiful, if possible._

_I could not control my body. My hands automatically framed her face as I tilted her head up so that we were peering into each other's eyes. She was a prize. A mystical wonder. In my eyes, there was nothing that Kana could do to make me hate her. I did not know this girl, but everything about her made me fall deeper in love with her. She just killed all of these people but that did not matter to me. I was not even thinking of the crime that she committed when I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers._

_She kissed me in turn. It started off with just the gentle brushing of our lips so I did not expect Kana to lick at my lips so that she could gain entry. I allowed access to Kana's tongue and the blood that it carried. It was a mistake to kiss her, I know, but I could not resist. And the taste of the blood exploding in my mouth had me kissing Kana with sudden aggression. The delicious taste of blood was nothing like I had tasted before and I could not get enough of it. Before I knew it, I had the source of my dark lust pinned against the brick wall of the house we were closest to._

_Our lips hungrily smashed together as the kiss deepened and picked up pace, our tongues caressed each other and explored the innards of our partner's mouth, and the blood had me greedily swallowing it as I pushed Kana completely against the wall to taste it, all of it._

_It was then that Kana fisted my hair and pulled me back. We were both breathing hard with flushed faces. I was out of breath but I did not care. I still wanted her. I wanted to get right back to what we were doing and take her completely-_

"_Wait," Kana commanded._

_The hand that she used to fist my hair slowly trailed down her body in the most seductive way I thought possible. She touched her face, which was free of blood, to her breasts, and then back up to the side of her neck. With a devilish smirk that I thought was captivating, she asked with a voice like silk, "Do you want more?"_

_I had no clue what she was talking about, but I nodded anyway._

_It was then that Kana cut the side of her neck and a red, thin line of scarlet blood trailed down her body, staining her dress in her own blood. "Drink," she told me as she extended her hand to me._

_The greatest crime that a _slayer_ can commit is drinking blood from a vampire. Unlike the crime of forming a relationship with a vampire, the penalty for drinking blood is not death. The _slayers_ believed that death was too kind, so they flogged you in front of the other _slayers_ and then, if you survived, they made you sit on rocks naked for hours. My guess for drinking vampire blood being a crime is that the _slayers_ want to separate us from them as much as possible. Vampire blood is already coursing through our veins, so that is why I enjoyed human blood. We call vampires monsters, but we are just as bad, if not worse, because we can do all of the sinful things that they can do._

_Knowing how harsh the repercussion of the crime committed if a _slayer_ drinks vampire blood is, I did not think twice before my mouth was on Kana's bleeding neck. She gently rested a hand in my hair as she released a soft moan into the night air. I moaned against her skin as I sucked in the warm, succulent scarlet liquid from her body. This tasted better than human blood. This tasted so good that it was almost orgasmic._

_Once that thought crossed my mind, my body was pressed against hers entirely. I rubbed my pelvis against hers and purposely used my knee to lift her dress so that I could caress her legs. In return, Kana moved her pelvis in tune with me. The hand that was not in my hair unbuttoned my vest and unbuttoned the long-sleeved shirt underneath it. The hand ghosted over my body as she moaned louder into the night._

_I detached my mouth from her neck to whisper in her ear. I was surprised at how husky my voice sounded when I told her, "I want you so bad, Kana."_

_The woman licked the blood smeared on my lips. "And I want you, Sasuke."_

_Kana scratched my bare chest, and watched the blood flow from the flesh wound momentarily before she licked it. Then she went to my neck and bit into me. She released endorphins into my body, making me moan and groan instantaneously. My hands held onto her hips and I could not stop moaning. I continued to call out her name as I grinded my body against hers. I loved the feeling of this. The wonderful sensation that this brought me was mind-blowing, but I did not quite want _this_. What I wanted was to be in Kana. I wanted to become one with her. I wanted to love her through the night as our bodies came together to share warmth and unite for the first time. And the urge above my knees was not helping me settle this dark desire overtaking me from within. Kana had to know this. She can read minds. The dirty desires coursing through my teenage mind should be enough to defile her and make her feel dirty. She should want to get away from me to save herself. But I was wrong._

_Kana granted me that devilish smirk that she gave me not too long ago. With the smirk still plastered on her beautiful face, she said, "Quite creative, are we, Sasuke?"_

_My mystical wonder claimed my lips again, but since the endorphins were still coursing through my body, the nerves in my lips were heightened. I moaned softly as our lips brushed together._

"_Kana," I said with a voice so desperate that I did not recognize it as my own. "Please. Stop teasing me. You read my mind. You know how much I want you."_

"_And I want you, too," she told me. "But you are not ready. What you feel is lust. I want you to feel more than just that, my love." She placed a hand on my chest to feel my rapidly beating heart. "This is not the rhythm that I want to hear and feel. You just want to settle the urge that arose inside of you. What I want, no, what I need is for you to fall in love with me. That is all I need from you, Sasuke."_

"_Kana?"_

_Kana removed my hold on her hips and pushed me away so that she could leave. "Come find me when you fall in love with me."_

_I wanted to chase after her, but she used compulsion on me, forcing me to go home. I returned home that night and could not stop thinking about her. The way her body felt, the smirk that she gave me, the way her blood tasted, how much she made me want her…_

_Days passed and I could not get her out of my mind. I did not see her around the village and I could not find her. I even returned to the spot where we kissed and found no trace of her. It made sense that she would not return to this area, though. She produced so many bodies and the _slayers_ were trying to figure out who created them. To my dismay, Suigetsu and Mangetsu were on duty and they were the type to not rest until they found the culprit._

"_Have you found anything yet?" I asked, trying to sound casual._

"_Not yet," Mangetsu answered. "We should be receiving backup soon. Whatever heartless bastard did this deserves to die."_

_Anger boiled up inside of me, but I tried hard to not express it. "Who are these people?"_

"_It is a little strange," Suigetsu answered. "All of these men are criminals. Some of the worst kind. The police have been trying to catch them, to lock them away, but they were very slippery."_

_I felt my heart hit my chest and butterflies swarmed in my stomach. Kana killed criminals because she did not want to harm innocents._

"_Here comes our backup now," Mangetsu said, pointing towards the direction of the gate._

_My eyes widened and my heart dropped down to my stomach. My body went rigid and I felt light-headed. They brought in the best to get this gruesome crime solved. Unfortunately the best was my brother._

_Itachi came up to me immediately with worry written all over his face. "I am so glad that you were unharmed, Sasuke."_

"_Brother…"_

"_Itachi," Mangetsu called as he handed Itachi a folder full of documents. "This is what we have so far."_

_My brother opened up the folder to read the contents. Mangetsu stood beside him to point out the most important clues and details so that he was caught up to speed. This was a relief to the _slayers_ on the case, but it was a disaster for me. If Itachi was on the case, then this will definitely be solved and Kana will be executed. I could not let this happen, but I could not tamper with the documents without my brother knowing now that he is reading them. The only other option I have is to warn Kana._

_I turned to find her when my brother called me. "Sasuke, I got you a gift. I will give it to you tonight over dinner."_

_I gave Itachi a small smile and a nod before I went off to find Kana._

_My intention was to go on the outskirts of the village since Kana appeared to not be within the village, but I was stopped by the man who knew me better than anyone in the world. My brother._

"_Brother, I do not have time for you," I said. "I am in a hurry."_

"_I know," he responded and then took a few steps towards me. "A friend of mine was the in the area of the crime a few nights ago. He saw you with a vampire and told me about it as soon as he saw me approaching the gate. Would you like to explain, Sasuke?"_

"_No, I would not. I have nothing to tell you."_

"_Sasuke," he said in that familiar warning tone that was often used by parents._

"_There is nothing to tell you, brother."_

"_I know you are lying. Stay away from that vampire. No good will come from being around one. They are heartless creatures that pretend to have emotions in order to get what they want. You should know this." My brother turned around to go back to the scene but before he did so he called from over his shoulder to me, "I expect to see you at home for dinner. If I do not, I will come and find you."_

_When my brother was out of sight, I made my way to the outskirts of the village._

_All I saw were trees and shrubs outside of the village. But it did not take too long before I found a small, secluded hut. Something told me to approach the hut, so I did. I knocked on the door a few times, but there was no answer. I looked through the windows, but I could not see anything. I went back around to the front door to see if it was unlocked and, luckily, it was._

_I went inside the hut, but no one was there. I thought that the hut was vacant, but I saw the dress that Kana had worn a few days ago crammed in a corner on the floor. Unfortunately there were no signs to tell if Kana had been here recently. There were no extra clothing hanging anywhere, no meals, and no sign of her sleeping here. I decided to stay here to wait for her just in case she came back, but it took longer for her to return than I thought._

_Somewhere along the time when I sat down on the floor to wait for her, I had fallen asleep. When I awoke it was nightfall. I believed that she would not be coming back, so I left. I did not have a watch so I had no idea what time it was. But my brother and I have dinner when the sun is setting. A knot formed in my stomach when I remembered that he told me that he would come looking for me if I did not come home for dinner._

_As soon as I left the woods, I saw Itachi storming through the village. He did not notice me until I moved. When his eyes caught sight of me they turned from worry to anger. He furiously approached me and slapped me across the face._

"_Where were you?" he questioned._

_I placed my hand on my stinging cheek and glared at my brother. "It is none of your concern, brother."_

_I made my way to brush past him, but he caught my wrist with blinding speed and pulled me towards him. He gripped me so hard that I let out a yelp. Itachi's expression softened and he released me immediately. When my brother is angry he forgets his own strength. I should know better than anyone to not make him angry, but I still continued to because I knew that he would never truly try to hurt me._

_I held my wrist, rubbed my throbbing skin, and cursed under my breath. A bruise will surely appear soon._

"_Sorry, Sasuke," he said sincerely. But then he rid himself of any pity he felt for injuring me and said, "It is my concern. I am the one taking care of you. Tell me where you were."_

"_You do not need to know! Leave me alone!"_

_I turned to go home, but Itachi stopped me by grabbing my wrist again. "You were with that vampire were you not? The one who killed all of those men," my brother said._

_His tone made my heart jump and my pulse race. I felt my eyes widen as I asked, "Brother, what are you going to do?"_

"_Have… Have you fallen in love with that vampire, Sasuke?" Itachi's voice was low and fearful. When I did not respond, Itachi said slowly, "You know what that means, correct? I… I have to kill you…"_

_I ripped my wrist from my brother's hand and ran for the woods. I heard Itachi calling my name, but I did not look back. I went where my feet took me and I ended up in front of the hut again. I was breathing hard and quickly decided to enter the hut._

_I let my body slump to the floor and I threw my head back against the wall as I breathed heavily. I let my eyes close as I thought of what I was going to do. My brother loved me, but a crime is a crime and I just committed one knowing fully well of the consequences that it brought. Itachi was going to find me and kill me himself to purify the soul that Kana had tainted. There was nowhere for me to run. Itachi always finds his target. And since I am the one that he is hunting, he will surely find me soon._

"_Sasuke," a familiar voice sounded through the dark room like silk. The hairs on my arms stood up as my eyes shot open and found another pair of eyes that glowed in the moonlight. "I thought that I heard you come in."_

"_Kana," I said, standing up to meet her._

"_You came by earlier." Kana did not say it as a question but I nodded anyway. "Do you need something?"_

"_I… I came to warn you. The _slayers_ are searching for you. My brother is on the case and he is sure to find you. You must flee."_

"_I know, but I do not want to."_

"_What? Why not?"_

"_Because…" Kana approached me and rested a hand on my swollen cheek. In my periphery I saw her hand glow white. The stinging pain from the injury that my older brother inflicted upon me was replaced by a calming, warm sensation and the pain disappeared completely. "You are a _slayer_, my natural enemy. I should hate you, however, you are different. You are not like the others, but it is not because you were not trained. I have taken a liking to you, Sasuke Uchiha, and I know that you have taken a liking to me, too… I… I believe that I have fallen in love with you."_

_One of my hands fisted a handful of dark, long hair and the other held onto to her lower back. Our hungry lips smashed together as we entered a deep, long kiss. When we parted we were breathing heavily._

"_You are in my dreams," I told her. "You are all I think about both while I am awake and while I am asleep. You are all I want to think about. I love you so much that if another day went by without me seeing you, I believe that I would have gone insane. You are my soul, my heart. You are more than what I could have asked for. You are my soul mate and I will never let you go."_

_Kana's glowing eyes locked with mine. "Will you stay with me forever, Sasuke?"_

_I did not hesitate to answer, "Yes."_

_Kana slowly brought her mouth up to my ear. She whispered, "Then I will take you, so that you can join me in the world that is forbidden to your kind."_

_My lover's teeth sunk down in my neck. I released a moan into the small space of the hut surrounding us. I wrapped my arms around Kana's waist tightly and pulled her petite body against mine. Kana put her weight on me and pushed me down to the floor. She straddled me without removing her teeth from my flesh. She grinded her body against me and I participated in the act. It excited me to hear her moan against my skin as I ghosted over the parts of her body that needed me the most._

_I grinded my body in tune with Kana's rhythm as I fisted her hair. I screamed and gasped into the empty hut filled with our voices and groped her body. When I touched sensitive places on her body, I felt her gasp against me as she fed. She gripped hard onto my shoulders as she tried to settle the overwhelming, dark lust rising within her, but I could not get enough of hearing her frustrated cries and feeling how badly her body trembled above me, so I continued to touch her in those places until she released more endorphins into my system, making me scream again._

_I let out one last, loud sound of satisfaction into the air before I told Kana to detach her teeth from me. Blood was smeared all over her lips as she looked at me questioningly and breathed hard on my skin._

"_It is my turn to make you feel good," I told her._

_The devilish smirk that I loved so much played upon her alluring face. With the hand that she had been gripping my shoulder with, she opened the skin on her chest with her nails. She licked the blood off of her fingers and watched my face twist with longing as I watched the blood trail down her porcelain flesh. Kana let out a brief laugh that made the butterflies in my stomach flutter restlessly and fisted a handful of my hair. "Make me feel good, Sasuke."_

_I pushed Kana down to the floor and got on top of her as I sucked in the warm, scarlet blood with avarice, and I felt Kana tremble from underneath me. Beautiful gasps and heavy breaths escaped from her as she held onto me tighter. She called out my name in a voice so irresistible that I found myself ripping off her dress. Kana released a little laugh and returned the favor by tearing off my shirt with her sharp nails. I winced when one of her nails cut open my skin. The pain did not bother me, though. I was too distracted by how orgasmic Kana tasted and that she dared to lick her fingers slathered in my blood as I drank from her. That was when she called out into the night with a voice even more irresistible than when she called out my name._

_I could not take it anymore. I moved my body so hard against her that we both moaned and shivered. I pulled my new lover into an embrace, removing my mouth from her delicious flesh wound. My mouth pressed hard on hers and we indulged in a passionate, bloody kiss. Kana wrapped her legs around me. She whimpered under me as my hand travelled up one of her bare thighs and tugged at her underwear. With a trembling hand, Kana placed her hand on mine and gasped out, "Not yet" from under my lips._

_I removed my hand from my lover's underwear and laced my fingers with hers. Our eyes locked for a moment before I kissed down her body until I got to her undergarments. As I was doing so, Kana arched her back, let out soft moans, and whispered "I love you" to me. I returned the sincere words as I dragged my nails up her bare torso and returned my lips to hers._

_As we were kissing, Kana cut my lip open with her fangs. She seized the blood dripping from the wound and moaned. This time she sounded desperate. Very desperate and it was not for blood. She wanted me and she wanted me now. Despite her saying "Not yet", I think she wanted to test me to see if I still felt more lust for her than love. She was wrong. I loved her more than anything in the world, and I wanted, no, needed her to know that._

_As Kana drank from me, I took one of her hands and placed it on my bare chest. She stopped drinking and her glowing, pale eyes widened. "This rhythm…" she breathed. "It has been so long since I have felt this rhythm…"_

"_Will you let me take you now?" I asked. "If you let me love you, Kana, I will become your warrior. I promise to protect you, and I will even throw my life away to make that happen. I love you. I really mean that."_

_She smiled, touched my face, and blinked back tears. "I love you, too. And I will hold you up on your promise, my love."_

_Kana removed my pants as our lips smashed together again. I removed her bra once our breath became heavier, and taking off her underwear soon followed. I loved Kana more than I could actually say, more than I could describe. She was my world, my everything, and more. She was special, one of a kind, and I would not find another woman like her. She completed me and I completed her. Kana was the only person who could create butterflies within me and make them stir so restlessly that it made me nervous to look at her. It felt like a dream to even be here, touching the woman I loved as she sunk her teeth into my neck and made forbidden love to me in night._

_The rising sun blinded me and I had to raise my hand to cover my eyes. As I did so, I could not help but feel different. My eyes were sensitive to the light and they throbbed when I tried to look at the sun. The rhythm of my heart slowed slightly and I was… able to hear it beat within me. In fact, I was able to hear many sounds like birds chirping in the distance. This only disturbed me because I was able to hear the birds' larynx vibrating and stretching as they chirped and sang. I was able to hear water running from the river a few miles away and leaves rustling in the wind. My sense of smell intensified, too. I smelled the water from the river, the wood in the hut, and smelled Kana's sweet, floral scent._

_I moved my hand that was resting on the wooden floor and gasped when I felt every single detail in the floorboard. The cracks, the natural roughness, and carves in the wood from what I believed to be created by a dagger. The new sensation startled me so I took my hand away from it only to find something soft and smooth behind me. I let my fingers gently touch this new surface. I breathed in as I travelled farther up until I felt something beat hard against my fingertips. The sudden force startled me, and then I felt the soft surface vibrate and then it began to rumble. The sound from the vibration that soon followed hurt my ears and I covered them only to find out that that did not work._

_The soft figure moved slightly behind me and removed my hands from my ears. My sensitive eyes found the source of the cacophonous vibration. Kana was laughing and whispered to me, "It is alright, Sasuke. The harsh sound is all in your head. You can turn it down." With her hands glowing white, she cupped my ears and the cacophonous sounds died._

"_Kana," I breathed. Through my new eyes she looked even more beautiful._

"_Come," she commanded, extending her arms to me. I lay in her naked lap as she wrapped her arms around me. "You are a vampire now."_

_I did not respond. Instead, I raised my hand to look at it. I could see all of the details my hand possessed clearly and could not subdue my amazement. Everything about this was amazing and I felt powerful._

_When Kana ran her fingers through my hair I jumped. Every nerve on me was hypersensitive and I did not know how to turn it down._

_I used my elbow as a support to hold my body up as I fisted a hand in Kana's hair to pull her down so that I could kiss her. My taste had also intensified. I tasted her clean skin and when she stuck her tongue in my mouth, I tasted how sweet it was and felt every taste bud. When we parted, Kana recited a poem for me._

_ "I never knew there would be a better tomorrow  
But you have come into my life and taken away all of my sorrow  
My days of sadness are a thing of the past  
Because I have found true love at last  
My days of emptiness are gone for good  
Because you fill a void in my heart that you should  
You have opened up a window  
You have shown me the light  
And my love for you will continue to burn bright"_

"_That was beautiful," I told her as I kissed her again._

_She smiled against my lips. "It is all true."_

_I furrowed my eyebrows as I noticed that her voice sounded a little raspy. "What is wrong, Kana?"_

"_Oh," she rubbed her throat. "I am just a little thirsty. Worry not, my love."_

"_I can get you some water. Would you like that?"_

_She nodded. "There is a well out back."_

_I kissed my lover one last time before putting on my pants and leaving the hut. I went out back and gathered water for Kana. While I waited for the bucket to bring the water up to the mouth of the well, I thought about the new life that we will be spending together. We had eternity to do whatever we wanted and we were going to start today._

_I walked back inside the hut with the bucket in my hands only to drop it at the doorway. My body went rigid at the scene that I walked into. Not even five feet away from me was Kana's body. Her body lay on the floor with a gash on her neck, a stab wound on her thigh, and a stake in her chest. The beautiful, pale eyes that once carried such kindness now were staring lifelessly at me._

_My eyes found the culprit hovering above her body with dark eyes full of hate and disgust. The man slowly turned over his shoulder to look at me. Both of our eyes widened in shock at what we saw._

_My brother was shocked to see what creature I had become, while I was baffled that my brother, Itachi Uchiha, killed my most important person in the world. Now my life was no longer worth meaning, and the excruciating pain pulsing through my chest made it even harder for me to stand up straight to face the cruel reality: My brother killed my lover. The light of my life. The apple of my eye._

_My brother did not look at me with disgust and hate as he did Kana. He appeared to be in pain. Like his little brother had died and he was now looking at a shadow of what he once was._

_Well, he was correct._

_With blinding and my mind clouded by rage, I rushed up to my brother and shoved an arm through his chest. I grabbed a hold of his heart beating in his chest and ripped it out. With the pain in his eyes dimming, he fell to the floor beside my lover. Once his body hit the floor, a locket made out of pure silver fell out of his trench coat's pocket. It was issued out to me… It was the gift that he told me about._

_My body was shaking violently as I suddenly no longer had the strength to hold my brother's heart. My legs felt like jelly as I slowly approached Kana's corpse. I held her in my arms and gasped at how cold her body felt. I pulled her into my chest as I felt tears fall from my face. How could I have let this happen? I promised that I would protect her. I promised that I would love her. I promised that I would never leave her. How? How could this have happened in such a short amount of time? I should have been here. I should have been here to protect her. I told her that I would become her warrior. How could I do that if Kana was dead?_

"_I… I need you," I whispered to Kana's lifeless body. I began to rock her body and held her closer to me as if I was trying to keep her warm. And somewhere in my sick mind I thought that my desperation and sorrow would bring her back to life. "Please, Kana… Please… You cannot leave me. I need you. We… We were going to start a life together. We were going to explore the world. How can we do that if you are…?" I covered my mouth with my hand to stop my oncoming sobs. A part of me knew that Kana was not coming back, but the other part of me still could not believe that this was happening. How could love be born and then die as fast as it came? How could love be ripped from my arms in such a brutal manner? And how can the person who took my lover from me be the only family that I had, the man that I trusted with my life, the man that I lived with for sixteen years? The man that promised me that he would protect me? The man that acted as my parent since ours were gone? How? How?_

_Slowly, I released Kana and gently rested her body on the floor. I closed her eyes, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered, "I love you." After that, my body entered autopilot. I picked up my brother's rigid body, picked up the locket with my bloody hands, putting it in my pocket, and took him outside to rest his body by a large oak tree. I picked up Kana's body and lay her next to Itachi. I created graves for them and when I finished, I broke down and cried._

_I lost two people that I loved in one morning, my brother and my lover. Both of them created a change in me, but Kana made the greatest change. All of the pride that I once had diminished when I was with her. My bitter and rude personality died and I was turned into a man with good intentions. In less than a week she changed me. She was special, a mystic wonder that was unsolvable. And I was never going to see her again…_

Sasuke sat beside me on the swing set in silence. His body had gone stiff and he appeared to be lost in thought as he fidgeted with the locket that his brother gave him. I leaned a little closer to him to try to see his face only to catch him holding back tears. I was angry that Sasuke had used me to fill in the void that Kana had created when Itachi had murdered her, but now I understood. Had I been in Sasuke's situation, I would've done something similar. Kana was his everything. It was hard to live without her, especially since he was a newborn vampire when she died. Not only did he need her to teach him how to tame his abilities, he also needed her because she was his world. Back at the Minami house, when Sasuke was so nonchalant about dying, it worried me and I didn't have an answer to his behavior. But now I think that I do. It's gotten too hard for Sasuke to live. He doesn't care anymore.

"I…" Sasuke cleared his throat and choked back the tears. "I forgave my brother for killing Kana a few years later. But once I forgave him I regretted ever killing him. He only wanted to protect me. I didn't see that then. But… I will never forgive the _slayers_ for killing innocents like Kana. She… She was such a good person. Even now I still feel like I didn't deserve her." Sasuke let out a humorless laugh. "I hate a part of who I am. _Slayer_ blood is coursing through my veins, so I am just as bad as them, if not worse." Sasuke stood up from the swing to look at me. "I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

"I-It's fine," I told him. "I am really sorry about your brother and… and Kana."

He lowered his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I am, too…" Sasuke bit his bottom lip before saying, "I have a confession to make, Hinata."

"What is it?"

"What you felt for me wasn't love. You never fell in love with me. I used compulsion on you so that you'd take to me faster. I distracted you from Naruto, severing all of the adoration you held for him. I'm sorry for that, too. I know that you must be angry with me for using you and deceiving you by creating a falsified love, and I understand if you hate me forever for doing that to you. But-"

"It's fine. It really is. I forgive you for everything. I think that I'd do the same thing you did if I were in your shoes."

"Thank you," Sasuke breathed. "Even after I committed such selfish acts, you still seem to find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Yeah. You suffered enough." I paused. "Are we friends, Sasuke?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes, we are."

I smiled, showing my teeth. "Good."

We smiled at each other and walked back to the Shodai Kazekage. I'm glad that Sasuke and I repaired our relationship, again, but now I have to deal with Neji. How am I going to get him to talk to me? He doesn't remember me and I'm pretty sure that he thinks I'm insane for calling him my cousin. I'm out of ideas. And with Nanase ready to bite me if I get near her "cousin," I'm going to have to come up with a pretty good plan. What am I going to do?


	13. Invitation to the Sand Part 5

I had a dream last night about Sasuke and Kana. After Sasuke told me about their unrequited romance I couldn't get them out of my mind and I fell asleep that night dreaming about them. In my dream, it was nightfall and I saw how Kana's eyes glowed in the dark. It looked very unnatural, but beautiful. Deidara's and Sasuke's eyes never glowed in the dark, so it made me wonder just how special Kana really was. I got a different presence from her than from Deidara and Sasuke. She felt very powerful. It made me wonder if she died for a reason…

The two lovers gazed into each other's eyes under the moon while standing in a meadow full of flowers that I never seen before and the flowers also glowed in the moonlight just like Kana's unusual eyes. They took each other's hand and Kana whispered something into Sasuke's ear. He furrowed his eyebrows at her words, but I couldn't hear what she said. Then Kana released his hand, backing away in the process, as Sasuke reached for her, but he was never able to reach her. The mysterious vampire faded into the darkness and left Sasuke standing there alone, crying. I felt his pain, his loneliness. I felt how grief-stricken he was. I felt how much he loved her… How much he couldn't live without her… How much he missed her and how much he blamed himself for her death. I felt his world crashing down around him as he watched the person that he loved most disappear into the darkness and didn't return after he promised to protect her. I wanted to go to him to comfort him, but I couldn't… I also could not help but wonder: Is this how Sasuke truly felt? Is he still feeling this much pain? Is it still this hard to walk the earth without thinking about her?

It hurt me to watch him break down to his knees as his beloved disappeared. This pain felt unbearable. It felt like my heart was ripping in two. I couldn't breathe, think, or see a future. Is this truly how Sasuke felt? I just could not fathom how he could possibly live all of these years feeling like this. It almost made me want to-

"Hinata!" Ino called, causing my heart to stop and then skip several beats as my eyes widened and a scream was threatening to escape from my mouth. She was straddling me and she was two inches away from my face staring angrily at me. "I've been calling you forever. Come on, let's go!"

"W-Where?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. My heart was beating so fast that it hurt. "What time is it?"

Ino completely ignored my question for what time it was and said, "To the café. We came here on vacation and Sakura and I hardly spent time with you." I opened my mouth to say something but Ino put a finger on my mouth before I could get any words out. "No excuses. Sakura's in the lobby waiting for us. Now let's move before I dress you myself."

Ino got off of me and let me get ready as she went out to go meet Sakura in the lobby. It didn't take me long to meet them because I just put on long shorts and a tank top after quickly brushing my teeth. Ino, however, complained and told me to put on a swimsuit underneath my clothes since we're going to the beach after breakfast. Sighing, I went back to put on a swimsuit under my clothing.

We left the Shodai Kazekage immediately after I changed and we went to a breakfast café not too far from the hotel called the Akasuna Café. The people there stared at me constantly. I think it was because of my skin. Sakura and Ino were tanned and I was not. I was still porcelain. The people didn't give me dirty stares. They were more curious than anything. I stood out and looked like a ghost compared to everyone else.

The three of us sat down at a table by the window, and not too long after we sat a cute waiter came over to take our orders. He had red shaggy hair, brown eyes, and long eyelashes. He was also fair-skinned, which indicated to me that he doesn't spend much time out in the sun.

"Hello ladies. My name is Sasori. What would you like to drink?" he asked.

He applied the question to all of us but stared at Ino to get what she wanted first. Ino was too busy checking out our waiter to notice that he was waiting on her. So Sakura answered for her and herself. "My friend will have a Cherry Coke and I will have lemonade."

Sasori jotted it down swiftly and then turned to me. Since there were no Pepsi products here, I said, "A Coke, please."

He jotted it down and said to all of us, "I will be back soon. Please look over your menus while I am gone."

Sasori turned away to return to the kitchen. Ino never took her eyes off of his butt, leaving Sakura and me shaking our heads and sighing.

Never taking her eyes off of the waiter, Ino leaned in closer to Sakura and me and asked, "Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"No idea, Ino," Sakura answered. "But has that stopped you before?"

"Right you are, Sakura my friend. I'll get his number when he comes back."

"That's not what I-"

"Just let it go, Sakura. There's no stopping her, now," I said.

Moments later, our waiter returned with our drinks sitting on a tray. He sat them down in front of us and pulled out his notepad to take our food order. Ino still wasn't responding to Sasori, so Sakura had to pick out Ino's food for her.

"Um, I'll have omuraisu and my friend will have okonomiyaki." Sakura spoke as she pointed to each of the items on the menu.

Sasori wrote it down and looked at me. I told him, "Can I have dorayaki?"

He smiled at me and then at my friends. "I will be right back."

As soon as he was out of sight Sakura said, "I'm surprised that you didn't ask for his number, Ino."

"Just wait, Sakura. Just wait."

Sakura and I exchanged glances as Ino stared dreamily towards the direction that Sasori went in. Ino doesn't usually stare dreamily at her prey like that, nor ask us if we thought that any boy that she was after had a girlfriend. Does Ino actually like Sasori? If so, this might actually be good. No more boy-hunting.

Sasori came back to us carrying two plates while a man next to him was carrying one. This new man had a husky build, silver hair that was gelled back, and a mean look in his eyes. To me, he looked like the type to curse. A lot.

The men sat the plates on the table and Sasori smiled at us while the other man frowned. He clearly didn't want to be here.

"Enjoy," Sasori said. He then gestured to the unpleasant waiter next to him. "This is Hidan. He'll help you if I'm not around."

Hidan noticed Ino's dreamy gaze and stretched an arm around the redhead. "Yeah," Hidan said, directing his statement at Ino. "I'll be happy to help my boyfriend out."

Beside me, I heard Sakura choke on her omuraisu and she reached for her lemonade to suppress the coughing. My eyes widened in surprise. Ino just looked plain annoyed, almost as if Hidan was some type of rival.

"Thanks," Ino told Hidan with a tight smile. "I will definitely call on you."

The couple walked away and Ino began to eat her meal. I leaned over the table to whisper, "You handled that pretty well, Ino."

"That's only because that wasn't the first time that happened to me. I have experienced a variety of rejections. Believe me."

"We believe you," Sakura said through some coughs.

The three of us finished our meal and Ino insisted that we don't leave them a tip. Of course, Sakura had to argue on that because the service was good, as well as the food, and we can't just not tip them because Sasori is gay and couldn't possibly be attracted to Ino. Our blonde friend begged to differ but Sakura tipped Sasori anyway. Pouting, Ino left out of the café before either Sakura or me.

We went to the beach closest to the Akasuna Café and arrived there within twenty minutes. Upon arrival we took off our clothes, revealing our swimsuits. Unfortunately I couldn't find my one-piece bathing suit so I had to wear the bikini that I bought the last time I came to the beach. And just like the last time, boys were staring, making me uncomfortable.

"So," Ino said, facing me. "Before we have fun I have to tell you something."

I raised one of my eyebrows, indicating for her to continue.

"Remember at the Senju when Sakura asked you to leave the room because she wanted to talk to me? Well, I'm going to tell you why." Ino sat down on the ground and let the sand swallow her toes. "Well, my parents got divorced not too long ago."

I sat down beside her, placing a hand on her bare back. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were hardly around. You were always with Sasuke, Deidara, and Naruto. I wanted to tell you but I felt as though you wouldn't listen, so I told Sakura."

Sakura sat down on the other side of Ino. "And Ino didn't want me to say anything. Sorry Hinata."

I looked towards our blonde friend who opened her mouth to say more. "The reason for the divorce is my mother caught my father in bed with Kiba's mother."

"What?" Sakura and I said in unison.

"Yeah," Ino shrugged. "My mother caught them together."

"No way," I said.

"It happened at the beginning of the school year," Ino said casually as she drew in the sand with her fingers.

"I am so sorry, Ino," I told her sincerely. "If there's anything I can do for you I will."

"Nah," Ino said as she stood from the ground, wiping off sand from her thighs. "I just want to catch up. What's new with you?"

My friends and I shared everything together because we were so close and considered each other family. But I hadn't been sharing any recent news with them since I met Sasuke a little over six months ago. I think my distance from them had something to do with Sasuke's compulsion, but I am still uncertain. I know for sure that the love that I felt for Naruto was destroyed because of Sasuke's compulsion, but I'd like to know if my friendship was also planned to be destroyed due to his selfishness. If so, it almost worked.

Another thing that the compulsion tricked me into doing was losing my virginity to Sasuke. I thought that I was in love with him. But I wasn't. I regretted ever losing myself to him but after hearing his history with Kana I couldn't help but to forgive him. Unfortunately, even though Sasuke tricked me and terminated my chances of ever falling in love with Naruto ever again (and possibly ruining my friendship with Sakura and Ino), I couldn't be mad at him, I couldn't hate him. In a sense I kind of understand how he feels and why he did it…

I stared up at Ino and drew a deep breath to tell my friends what I had been wanting to for a long time. "I lost my virginity four months ago to Sasuke."

Both of their mouths were hanging open but Ino's soon curved into a smile. She sat beside me again, threw an arm around my shoulder, and laughed. "That's my girl, taking a big step towards womanhood by breaking out of her shell! I couldn't be happier for you," she sniffled. Ino then whipped her head towards Sakura, whose mouth was still hanging open, and said; "Now we just need you to get laid."

Sakura sucked in air and gave Ino a hard look. "Whatever. And stop encouraging Hinata that it's okay to have sex."

"You're just mad because you don't have any charm."

"T-That's not true!" Sakura shot up from the ground. "I have plenty of charm!"

"Enough charm to get that boy to notice you?" Ino challenged.

"What boy?" I asked. "Do you like someone, Sakura?"

My tanned friend's face turned just as pink as her hair. "M-Maybe… But Ino's right. He hasn't noticed me."

"Do we know him? What's his name?" I asked.

"Yeah, you both know him. It's Shikamaru Nara, Naruto's friend."

"No way!" Ino removed her arm from me to cover her mouth. "Shikamaru of all people, really?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, sitting down again. Her face then returned to its normal, tanned color. "But since we shared everything that we wanted to, let's go have fun. It's what we came here for."

I was about to stand up when I remembered that I needed to tell them something. I needed to tell them about Neji. It still troubled me to even think about him at times, but I needed to tell them. Whenever I thought about him my heart ached and the all too familiar lump appeared in my throat. I might cry if I talked about him but I might as well get it over with now than later, right?

"Guys," I said, interrupting their brief conversation with the unexpected shakiness of my voice. "I need to tell you one more thing."

My best friends fixed me with worried stares.

"Remember the boy at the beach a couple of days ago with the long, dark brown hair?" They nodded and I continued. "I found out yesterday that he's Neji, my cousin."

Their eyes widened.

"H-How?" Ino asked, voice shaking almost as much as mine. "Didn't he… die?"

"The doctors said that his body was incinerated by the flames expelling from the car. How can he possibly be alive, let alone walking around without any permanent scars?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know," I lied. I wanted to tell them how he survived but I couldn't tell them that my cousin was a _slayer_, a being forged by gypsies with magic almost a thousand years ago intentionally created to kill vampires. But I could tell them about his "family" and his amnesia. Taking another breath to try to stop the tears that were readying to spill out of my eyes, I continued. "Neji has amnesia and his new family calls him Moya. When I tried to tell Neji that he was my cousin he didn't want to hear it and told me to leave."

"That's terrible," was all Sakura said. I believe that she would've said more but the news of Neji's existence was incredibly shocking for her.

Ino, however, was still in touch with reality enough to say, "He didn't have to act like an ass about it. I hear that a good whack on the head could trigger one's memory. Want to try it?"

"No," I said, suppressing the urge to laugh. "But I do want to take him back to Konohagakure with us. I have a feeling that the familiar surroundings will jog his memory somehow. But he doesn't want to come. He says that Sunagakure is his home and that this is where he belongs."

"Bullshit!" Ino said, standing up. "He's coming with us even if we have to drag him by his gorgeous, long hair."

"I agree with Ino," Sakura said, standing up along with her. "This isn't where he belongs and I bet the reason he didn't want to hear the truth is because he knows somewhere deep in his heart that you're right, Hinata."

I stood up, too. "I sure hope so. The only problem is getting him to go home with us. Neji truly believes that he belongs here."

Ino cracked her knuckles. "A good whack on the head is all we need."

"Don't resort to violence," Sakura scolded. "That's the last thing we need in this situation."

"But wouldn't it make more sense if we-"

"Ladies, how's it going?" called a boy's voice that was drawing closer and closer with each word.

The three of us whipped our heads around in the direction from which the voice came only to be met by three boys quickly approaching us. I went to move more towards Ino, but the man who spoke wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his bulky body. His smile was so creepy that I shuddered in his arms.

The other two moved towards my friends, who refused to let the scrawny boys touch them with glares and ready fists.

"How about you girls let us men show you a good time?" said the teenager holding onto me. "We've never been with foreign girls before."

Ino released a humorless laugh. "Are you kidding me? I am the predator, not the prey. We aren't going anywhere with you."

As Ino spoke, I tried to get out of the boy's hold, but he pulled me back every time I moved. After a few attempts, my captor glared at me, making me shudder. I would have stayed still just to somehow get out of his hold without him hurting me, but then my captor began caressing my skin with the hand he was using to hold me against him. I shuddered and this time my friends noticed.

"Let her go, you freak," Sakura said.

"If I did, would you take her place?" the boy asked this as he breathed hot air into my ear. Disgusting.

Sakura stepped forward without hesitation and opened her mouth, but I stopped her by saying "No! I'd rather it be me than you, Sakura."

Sakura came to an abrupt stop. She then bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows.

"So we got a tough one here," the boy breathed huskily into my ear. He then put both of his hands on my body, holding onto me with a vice grip, making me wince from the pain increasing around my waist as he held on tighter. "I would love to see that tough façade you're disguising yourself with break right in front your friends."

The two scrawny boys restrained Sakura and Ino as their leader restrained my hands behind my back with one hand way too easily for my liking. When his other hand tugged at my bikini bottoms I began to freak out and tried to escape. Was he really going to rape me right here? In front of all of these people? And in front of my friends and his? I couldn't let this happen, so I began kicking him as hard as I could. It hurt me more than it hurt him, but I continued to do it. That is, until he got annoyed enough to ball his fist in my hair and pulled on it hard. And when I say hard, I mean really hard. I thought that he was going to rip my hair out. It was at that point that I realized that there was nothing that I could do to stop him. I couldn't even hurt him, not in the way that he could me.

I felt my predator through his beach shorts as he pressed himself hard against my stomach. He brought his lips up to my ear again to whisper in a voice that was huskier than earlier to ask "Are you ready?"

The boy proceeded to remove my bikini bottoms but a new voice stopped him. A familiar voice. The voice caused my captor's body to go rigid and he released me, along with his friends releasing mine, and they all took a step back with their hands up in the air as if someone was holding a gun up to them.

I ran to my friends and then faced the boy who commanded them to release us. My whole face lit up when I saw our savior. It was Gaara.

The Kazekage stood in front of the three of us wearing the most casual attire I have ever seen him in. A T-shirt and beach shorts. Other than his clothing that caught my attention, I couldn't stop myself from breathing in his body wash and shampoo. Axe, my worst enemy.

The bulky teenager's friends joined their leader. One of them whispered something in his ear that made him sneer.

"Still walking around outside, freak?" said the leader. "What's it going to take for you to realize that you aren't wanted here?"

Gaara's body stiffened, which angered me immediately. Gaara had a lonely childhood due to the fact that a sand spirit was using his body as a host. The people who merged the spirit with Gaara's body isolated him from the other children because they were afraid of what he could do. In turn, the other kids began calling Gaara names out of ignorance. My guess is that these three bullies standing in front of us are some of the mergers' children.

"Who do you think you are?!" I said to them, forcing them to focus their attention on me. "Who do you think you are calling Gaara a freak?! What makes you so much more special than him, you disgusting-"

Gaara put an arm in front of me, making me realize that I was moving closer to the three boys. I stared up at the Kazekage in question and noticed that he was smiling down at me. He mouth _Thank you_ before he turned back around to the teenagers with a frown.

"I would rather be called a freak than be scum," Gaara said with a very leader-like voice. "Unlike you, I would never try to rape someone, especially in public for men, women, and children to see." The Kazekage gestured to the people staring at the boys with wide eyes filled with disbelief, disgust, and fear. Gaara took that as his chance to say more. "You three are the renown children of three of the most elite members on my council. Everyone knows your names, and now you just tarnished them. What will your parents have to say when the news finally spreads around about you trying to force yourselves on these young, foreign girls?"

The boys looked nervous now as they stared at the eyes of the increasing audience and Gaara's challenging, emerald eyes. So, feeling cornered, the bulky teenager said with an attempt to silence Gaara, "What if this doesn't spread around? What if I take you out before it reaches anyone?"

The Kazekage laughed aloud and then rested an arm around my shoulders. "I know this girl very well. I do not for an instant believe that she and her friends will stay quiet about what just happened here." The boy opened his mouth again but Gaara cut him off. "And out of all of the people here at this beach, there is at least one that will tell about what you three just tried to do to my friends, and that you just threatened the Kazekage, the leader of your country. The penalty for that is death."

This shut them up and they walked away without looking back.

"Is everyone okay?" Gaara asked all of us without removing his arm from my shoulders.

"A little shaken, but we're fine," Sakura said with a smile on her face.

"That was amazing, Gaara!" Ino said. "You shut them up right away. I was worried for a bit when the big one got cocky, but you pulled through."

"Yes, that was very impressive." Sakura's worried green eyes wandered to mine. I gave her wry smile that I didn't want the Kazekage to notice. But he did.

"Are you still frightened?" he asked me.

I opened my mouth to assure him that I was fine, but Sakura, knowing me better than anyone in the world (minus Neji), spoke before I could. "Yes she is still frightened."

"I think Hinata could use the comfort of a man to relax her," Ino said. She then added with a mischievous smile, "Especially after she and Sasuke broke up."

Gaara's emerald eyes widened as he looked down at me. He felt bad about it, I saw it in his eyes. But a flash of happiness came across his stunning orbs, completely killing any sadness he felt for me. "I agree with Sakura and Ino, Hinata. Let's go talk elsewhere."

I nodded at Gaara but glared at my friends as I began to walk away with the Kazekage. My friends were smiling like they just won a trophy and waved me good bye. I should have told them that I might be in love with Deidara and getting to know the Kazekage better wouldn't help me determine what the hell I'm feeling for the psychopath. But, I guess that seeing where our relationship takes us, I'll be able to find out whether I can move on or not. After all, Deidara is the one who wants to make sure that I don't fall in love with him and what better way to do that than to see someone, right?

The two of us ventured over to a more secluded area of the beach by the ocean. The hot Sunagakure air caressed our skin and played with our hair. My feet played with the sand beneath me as I breathed in the wonderful salty smell of the ocean. I love Sunagakure.

The attention that I was giving the ocean and the sand was interrupted by the golden grains beneath me moving against my feet. I looked down to see the sparkling sand dancing around my feet and ankles only to have it leave me by riding on the wind to dance for me there. I watched, enticed by its shimmering beauty in the sunlight.

The trail of sand then returned to the rest of the millions of grains beneath me. I assumed it to be over, but the next thing that caught my eye was breath taking and unbelievable. A few feet away from Gaara and me, bunches of sand was moving around in circles. Some of the sand was caught by the wind as it spiraled up into the air, creating a mini tornado of sparkling grains. Suddenly, the sand hardened and became still like a statue. I opened my mouth to comment on it, but four curved, spear-like hardened sand shot up from the earth, entombing the mini tornado, and then engulfing it. The sand from the tornado dispersed and the grains of sand were taken by the wind, leaving no evidence of the beautiful phenomenon that took place.

"That was amazing," I said. I looked up at my friend who was standing beside me. "Did you do that?"

He nodded.

"Wow, you're amazing! It was so beautiful. I wish that I could see something like that every day."

Gaara tucked me closer to his body with his arm that was around my shoulders. "I was hoping that you would like it. I don't show too many people what I can do."

"I'm glad that I was able to see it." I looked up at Gaara, hiding the fact that I'd rather be in someone else's arms right now. He felt me staring and looked down at me. "You really are amazing, Gaara. It's a shame that you have to hide the things that you can do. I think that I'm lucky to be able to see it."

His face began to turn pink and he looked back out at the ocean. "No one has ever said that to me before."

I smiled at Gaara and looked out towards the sea. "No one's ever called you amazing?"

Gaara shook his head and then he cleared his throat indicating that he was about to change the subject. "How are you feeling, Hinata?" Gaara asked.

I breathed in the ocean's calming scent one more time before I answered him. "Honestly, I'm still a little shaken up, but I'm feeling a lot better since you came to the rescue. I don't even want to think about what would have happened had you not come, Gaara." By no means was I trying to flirt with him. The words just kind of came out that way.

The Kazekage took his eyes away from the ocean to meet my eyes. I saw his jaw clench and unclench as he balled up his fist with his free hand. "I didn't like the way he was touching you, Hinata. I didn't like him touching you at all. It was so hard for me to compose myself when I confronted them that I thought I was going to lose control at any minute."

Hidden behind the obvious adoration he had for me, there was a look in his eyes that I couldn't identify. It looked familiar though. I'd seen this look dozens of times but for some reason there was something a little different about this one, which was why I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Gaara gently placed a hand on my cheek and stared deeply into my eyes. He said "Don't let any man touch you like that, Hinata. You deserve to be handled with much more care than that."

I furrowed my brows at him. There was something hidden behind his words that I could not decipher on my own. "What do you mean?"

He drew a breath and pulled me slightly closer to him. It caught me by surprise and my heart skipped a beat. His emerald eyes stared so deeply into mine that I shivered under his gaze. I knew what this look in his eyes meant now. Deidara gave me the same look in the cave after he killed Temari. Did this mean that he was in love with me?

"You were there for me, Hinata," Gaara told me. "When we first met at the Senju you showed me around Konohagakure and were so kind to me. You showed interest in my country even though you had never been there before. You were also the first person I trusted enough to tell about who I really am, what I really am. You didn't call me a freak or a monster. You listened and never judged me. Not even once. You weren't even afraid to sleep in the same bed as me, and you have no idea how hard it was for me to tear away from that bed in the morning only to find out that you had returned to the hotel. I wanted to see you again, to tell you thank you for everything you did for me, and…" His voice trailed off.

"And what, Gaara?" I asked softly. I was afraid that he was going to say the three words that I dreaded to hear.

"And…" he said softly, never tearing his eyes from me. "I think that you are the one for me, Hinata Hyuga."

While it wasn't a confession, it was pretty close to it. He was serious. Dead serious. He was so serious that he didn't even hesitate to lean down to meet my lips. I hesitated to kiss him but I didn't bother to move away. Our feelings for each other were not mutual, but if I kissed him back I just might be able to begin to like him at least a little in the romantic way. And I longed to get over my confusing feelings for Deidara for both his sake and mine and this might actually be the first step to achieve it.

Or so I thought.

"Gaara! Hinata!" Sakura's voice called to us from a few yards away. "Come help Ino and me build a sand castle."

The Kazekage and I broke apart and stared awkwardly at each other. I saw that Gaara's face was turning red and I noticed that my face was engulfed by the familiar intense burning sensation that happens when I'm embarrassed. Sakura ruined our kiss and things between Gaara and me became awkward. Very awkward.

We decided to assist Sakura and Ino with the castle despite feeling embarrassed whenever near or looking at one another. We helped Sakura and Ino construct what was once a mound of sand to a five foot castle. As we were building it, Gaara's and my arm constantly brushed against each other, leaving our faces either pink or beet red because we kept recalling that awkward moment. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't stay away from each other. We were subconsciously moving towards each other and it was working on my nerves. It was really annoying. I would not have minded it any other time, but I hate the burning sensation that my face gets whenever I am embarrassed, and right now I am clearly embarrassed. Not only that, Deidara is still weighing on my mind. What if I'm making a mistake for going out with Gaara just to get over Deidara?

"How cute," Ino cooed.

I looked up at her from the castle and gasped when I realized that it was sunset. How long were we doing this?

But other than the sunset distracting me, my eyes locked on Ino. She was giving me a haughty smile with mischief lingering in her blue eyes. I had to ask "What's cute?"

"You two, of course."

That caught Sakura's attention. And when she looked up at Gaara and me she gave us an expression identical to Ino's. "You're right, Ino. They are cute."

Embarrassment set my face on fire as I slowly looked up at Gaara. He was staring down at me as well with a red face I'm sure was the same color as my face, but he wasn't blushing for the same reason that I was. Not only that, our arms were a couple of centimeters away from brushing together. Again.

My horrible friends laughed at us and continued to comment on how adorable we were. This lasted until we finished the castle and Gaara's bodyguards came to pick him up. I waved him goodbye and my friends complained that I didn't kiss him instead. I already know that I won't hear the end of it for being shy around the Kazekage, and I also know that Ino is going to encourage me to sleep with Gaara, who just so happens to be a virgin. I'll never tell Ino that because she'll just tell me to show him what a woman can do, which will be humiliating.

When the three of us approached the Shodai Kazekage, Sakura and Ino told me that they wanted to shop for souvenirs. I would have gone with them but I was tired from staying on my feet all day and I wanted to sit down for a little while. Without any more discussion, my friends left and I entered the hotel.

I waved to the man at the front desk and he returned the gesture without a smile. I ignored that though and proceeded to go straight to my room, but something in my periphery caught my attention, hence making me stop. It was Naruto. Some girl was sitting in one of the chairs in the lobby with a smile on her face and Naruto was leaning over her wearing one of the most flirtatious smiles ever. She giggled over something that Naruto said to her and then he asked her a question. Uncertainty flashed over her face, but then Naruto said something else, making any hesitation that she was feeling vanish. Soon after that, she pulled out a piece of paper from her purse, wrote something down on it, handed it to Naruto, and walked away. When she left, I took that as an opportunity to approach him.

"What was that all about?" I asked with a large smile on my face. "Did she just give you her phone number?"

He let out a nervous laugh and a cute shade of pink spread across his face. "Um, yeah, she did. I didn't think that you'd see that."

"I'm surprised that you didn't sense me in the same room as you. That girl must have taken all of your attention then. Who was she?"

"Oh, just some random girl."

"She couldn't have been if you were so absorbed in her. Admit it, Naruto. You like her."

It didn't take long at all for him to give in. "Okay. Yeah. I think she's pretty. I'm taking her out later tonight."

My smile grew. "Congratulations. You've got to tell me about it when you get back."

"Okay. I'm actually going to get ready for it now. So I'll see you later, I guess."

"Alright. Have fun."

He went to his room and I went to mine. It made me happy to know that Naruto knew what he wanted. I just wish that I knew what _I_ wanted… Well, I guess that I already knew what I wanted, or more so, _who _I wanted. The person that I wanted was… out of my reach though. He wasn't that far, but he was far enough. And to try to get over the person that I truly wanted, I was willing to go out with someone I saw as nothing more than a friend. It'd be nice if I could return Gaara's feelings, that way I could get over Deidara and fully commit myself to my possible relationship with Gaara, but I don't know if I can do that. The Kazekage is a nice, caring guy with a gorgeous face and body, but the only thing that I'm attracted to is his scent, which isn't reason enough to go out with him.

I thought about this for a while as I rested my feet in my room. I wasn't getting anywhere with trying to convince myself to stop thinking about Deidara and to try to like Gaara, so I decided to leave the Shodai Kazekage to take a walk around town. I didn't venture too far from the hotel in fear of getting lost again, so I stuck close to the buildings that I knew and browsed around at the shops.

Not many people were out, seeming as the sun was setting, so the stores were practically empty and were also close to closing for the day. I had no money with me so all I could do was browse around. I got bored pretty fast and began to regret not bringing my wallet. So I decided to head back to the hotel, but something, or some_one_, in my periphery stopped me from heading back right away.

Outside of the store that I just exited was a woman. She had long, black hair, brown eyes, fair skin, and a stunning face. She wasn't your typical, attractive lady. She was the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen, and I know that anyone that I'd ask would agree with me, but after watching her for a moment, I realized that everyone just breezed by her, almost as if she didn't exist. Weird.

She paid as much attention to the passersby as they did to her though. It was as if they didn't exist to her either. I also assumed that I was nonexistent to the woman, but when her eyes rested on me, a chill ran up my spine. It's weird, but it felt like she was calling me. It freaked me out a little bit. Okay. More than a little bit. But since it appeared that I was the only one able to see her, and she was the only one to be able to see me, there must be a reason for her to be here, right? Also, the woman didn't come off as a bad person so I (hesitantly) went to her.

The lady smiled warmly when I approached her but didn't say anything. If possible, that freaked me out even more. Regardless of my feelings, I smiled back.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked.

She didn't respond using words. Instead, she reached into the bag she had wrapped around her shoulders, pulled something out of it, and then placed whatever it was in my hands. Confused, I looked at what she just handed me.

It was a glass marble, just a regular glass marble. The only thing special about it was that when the setting sun hit it, the glass created an array of different colors and it casted it's hues onto my hand. It was pretty, I won't deny that, but I had no need for this. What could I do with a glass marble?

I looked up from the marble to give it back to the woman only to find no one there. It was just me, and the marble, alone outside of the store I was browsing in not too long ago. That's not freaky at all. Nope. That is why I walked back to the Shodai Kazekage as nonchalantly as I could.

In my room, once again, I couldn't help but to think that she was a ghost. I know that ghosts exist, I've seen too many freaky things to not believe in them, but why would one be standing in the middle of the sidewalk just to talk to, er, I mean, to give me something worth no significant value? I found that odd. I even looked over the marble dozens of times. There was nothing spectacular about it. It was just a regular glass marble.

I guess that I could ask Sasuke… or not. While I told him that I forgive him for leading me on for months, the truth is that I was still pissed off. Just thinking about it again makes me want to hit something, or a certain someone. Naruto knew just as much about the supernatural world and mysterious objects as I did. Gaara was probably busy working. And I definitely couldn't ask Deidara even though he was the most knowledgeable out of the four since Haku was still back in Konohagakure. The only thing that I could do was to put it in my suitcase for now. Haku should know what it is. Maybe.

Not too long after I put the marble away, a knock came at my door. I opened the door to find Naruto on the other side. He was wearing a suit with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He looked very handsome. And he would have looked even more handsome if he wasn't frowning.

"What's wrong?" I asked as he let himself in. "You're back much earlier than I thought. Did you even go out on the date?"

"I went." Irritation thickly coated his voice.

"Well, what happened? Why do you look so upset?"

He rubbed his jaw and then roughly ran his fingers through his hair. "She was waiting for me at the restaurant. Everything was going fine. We sat down, ordered something, talked a little, and then her girlfriend shows up."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Girlfriend?"

He nodded his head, frown still plastered on his face. "I think I was set up or something. If she wanted me to leave her alone, all she had to do was say that she was already in a relationship."

"I'm sorry that it didn't work out. She's missing out on a really great guy."

He looked at me and his eyes softened a little. "You think so?"

"Yes. You don't need her. You can get any girl you want." As I walked over to my bed, I added on "And she wasn't even all that pretty."

Naruto released a laugh. "Isn't that a little mean to say, Hinata?"

I sat down. "Maybe a little. But it was way meaner to bring her girlfriend to the restaurant just to make a fool out of you. _That_ was more than a little mean."

"Can't disagree with that."

I looked Naruto over again. "I feel bad that you dressed up for nothing, and you even bought her a bouquet."

"The flowers weren't all that expensive," he said. A mischievous smile formed on his face in the blink of an eye and he offered me the bouquet. "Go out with me."

My eyebrows shot up. "Me? Go on a date with you?"

"Just as friends. I promise."

"I don't know, Naruto…"

"Come on. It'll be fun."

I thought about it for a bit. Yeah, sure, I went out to get my mind off of Deidara and Gaara, but thoughts of them are bound to come back if I stay here any longer with nothing to do. Also, the ghost girl kind of freaked me out. I didn't want to be alone while I waited for Sakura and Ino to return from shopping.

After I made my decision, I took the bouquet from Naruto and said with a smile "Get out so that I can change my clothes."

He returned the smile, only bigger, and then left to wait in the lobby for me. After I finished, we headed out immediately. Naruto took me to more places than I expected, but we had fun. A lot of fun, actually. I think that I had the most fun with him than with anyone else throughout this entire "vacation." And I think that he felt the same way. After dinner, we decided to go eat ice cream at the docks (tons of it), strolled through the city and ending up at the beach, and then got sucked into playing a game of volleyball with a couple there. Naruto and I won mainly because of Naruto's supernatural athletic abilities, but he held back as much as he could and we all had fun. We stayed out a little longer after that, returning to the Shodai Kazekage close to two in the morning, and came through the front door laughing.

The man at the front desk glared at us, but we didn't stop laughing. If anything, that made us laugh more. We were too giddy to care about anything right now. The loud laughing only stopped when the man picked up the phone to call security. Talk about party poopers.

"I guess it's time to split up," he said between suppressed laughs. "Our little party's been crashed."

"I guess so," I said. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in stifling my laughs. "We definitely have to do this again though."

"Definitely." He smiled at me again and then hugged me. "'Night, Hinata."

"Goodnight."

I entered my room, making sure not to wake my friends up with my constant giggling, and put my pajamas on. All of my worries from earlier slipped my mind entirely, which relieved me, and all that was left was the overpowering goofiness that I felt as I continued to recall Naruto's and my silly date. It was difficult for me to fall asleep because of the goofiness, but after about a half hour, I prevailed. That night, I received the best sleep that I had in weeks.


	14. Invitation to the Sand Part 6

Naruto and I spent a lot of time together after the date that we had. We laughed a lot, recalling the date and funny events from our past, and we went out together to hang out as often as we possibly could. Most of the time we ate nothing but ice cream (because the heat got to us and we really liked the ice cream here) and had to exercise daily to burn off of the calories. I hated exercising but Naruto made it fun.

A week had passed since then and even though my week was fun, there was something that I could not get out of my mind and it brought me down every chance it got.

I had not seen or heard from Neji in a week. I have been around Sunagakure and I have not seen him or any member from the Minami family. I have even called Neji, but it went straight to voicemail. I texted him as well, but he never returned my messages. He is obviously avoiding me because he knows that I am going back home today and I wanted to convince him one more time to consider coming with me.

This problem had bothered me greatly throughout the week and I finally decided to tell Sasuke, Naruto, and Deidara about it. Naruto was happy for me because I found a member of my family. Sasuke and Deidara were happy as well, but their hatred for _slayers_ clouded their happiness for me. But even though they hated _slayers_, Sasuke advised me to go find him again. And Deidara suggested going with me to find him.

It was hard for me to hide my discomfort of Deidara coming along with me, but I tried and prevailed (more or less). Last time Deidara and I were alone, he came onto me after telling me about his past. He bit me, injected endorphins into my body, creating an intense falsified pleasure, and I experienced a lust that I never thought was possible. It got so intense that I was close to actually sleeping with Deidara. After all of that, he told me that he needed me to stop loving him because I was too good for him. I haven't spoken to him since then, but I certainly did not want to start now. Looking at him and talking to him made me very uneasy, and to tell you the truth, I'm still not sure if I'm still in love with the psycho.

We left together anyway, but I kept my distance from him. Deidara walked several paces in front of me as he sniffed out my cousin. I watched him cautiously during this and somewhere along his tracking he turned around to say "What's wrong with you?"

"Shouldn't you know?" I asked. My voice was nowhere near rude but my vampire friend narrowed his eyes at me and turned his body completely around to face me.

"Are you talking about what happened between us last time?"

I nodded my head slightly, and when Deidara gave me a small smile I knew that I must look as uneasy as I felt. Even though we were in public, I still felt uncomfortable around him. The way that Deidara was staring into my eyes made me feel as though we were alone which made me shudder. I was afraid of feeling what I felt that day, both the pleasure and the unexplainable love that I was feeling for him. So I turned away from him to escape his gray-blue orbs.

"Hinata, are you afraid of me or something?" He sounded amused and even let out a brief laugh.

"If you're going to be like this then why don't you go back to the hotel? I'll get someone who cares, like Naruto, to sniff out Neji."

I felt Deidara place a hand on my shoulder as he whipped me around to face him. I was glaring at him but it was ineffective. Deidara was giving me a half smile when he said, "You really are afraid of me. I guess what I did had an effect on you."

The truth was that I wasn't afraid of _him_. I was afraid of what he'd do to me if I told him that I couldn't stop thinking about him because I think that I'm in love with him. But I lied to prevent myself from finding out by saying "It did." I removed the vampire's hand from my shoulder. "And you find it funny? I am willing to be less than lovers just like you want, but with the way you're treating me now, all I can see is you not wanting me to have anything to do with you, Deidara."

"That's not it at all!" he said, completely caught off guard. "I don't find this funny either. I'm only doing this to make sure that you don't turn back around to say 'I love you.'"

The last sentence made my heart ache.

"Well, you're not doing it right. Would you rather have me hate you?"

"No, no." Deidara ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "You're right. I'm sorry. I got out of line."

I was taken aback at how quickly Deidara apologized and I had difficulty finding what to say next. I expected to have to argue with him.

"It's… It's fine, Deidara." I rubbed my arm and looked down at the ground. "Let's just find my cousin and forget that all of this happened."

Deidara nodded his head slightly with a small smile.

Of course that comment was easier said than done. It takes a lot to forget anything Deidara does to you. Even more so when he so obviously wants you to remember whatever he has done.

We walked side by side this time but we continued to keep our distance from one another. The air between us was awkward and I wanted nothing more than to break the air between us by finding Neji. I was hoping that Neji wasn't too far or too difficult to find because being with Deidara was slowly becoming unbearable for me. No matter what he does to me, these weird feelings of mine won't go away. Is this love? If it is, how do I make it stop? It's not like I don't want to not love him. I feel as though I shouldn't. Other than that, I don't understand him at all. He does horrible things to me, like what happened last week and when I first met him, and then he regrets it later by apologizing for it. Is it all because he wants to change, or because he's afraid? If he is afraid, what is he afraid of?

"Deidara," I said without looking at him. I felt his gaze on me and I opened my mouth to say more when a familiar pair of strong arms pulled me back against his hard body as he moved me away from Deidara swiftly with him. I looked up to see who took me away from my vampire friend and was completely shocked to see who my "savior" was. "Neji…" I whispered with wide eyes.

Neji moved me behind him as he pulled out a stake. Nanase emerged from beside Neji and moved forward with a crossbow ready to be fired at Deidara. Deidara was looking at my cousin in astonishment. Did Deidara not sense him coming?

"Even I must admit that that was impressive," Deidara told Neji as he shook off his shock.

"Taking innocents in broad daylight?" Neji said. "You must be dumber than you look."

Nanase inched forward as she aimed the crossbow directly at Deidara's heart. "I hope you're ready to die," Nanase said, "because you're not going anywhere."

"Does it look like I'm running, little girl?" Deidara said as he crossed his arms. My friend then looked at Neji. "We've been looking for you."

"We?" Neji repeated. My cousin turned his pale eyes on me. "You are affiliated with a vampire?"

Neji's voice wasn't cold like I expected it to be. Instead he sounded as though he didn't believe what he was hearing. I expected him to be scolding me any minute.

I went to answer Neji but Nanase spoke before me. "Didn't I tell you that she knew that vampire, Moya? You didn't want to listen."

I ignored Nanase and spoke to Neji. "I need to talk to you."

We stared at each other for what seemed like hours before he responded. "Okay." Neji then said to Nanase, "Keep an eye on the vampire, Nanase. Hinata and I will be back soon."

"But Moya-"

"Watch. The. Vampire," he commanded.

Nanase didn't turn to look at us but I could feel her discomfort and I imagined what face she must be making. Nanase hates me and now that she confirmed that I talk to vampires, she has to think that I'm disgusting too. Her opinion of me shouldn't bother me because I came for Neji, but I can't help but to be upset. The hatred she feels for me only generated because she's jealous that Neji pays attention to me.

Neji lead me to a fountain several feet away from Nanase and Deidara. I expected Neji to look at me differently after discovering that I am friends with an enemy but I was wrong. My cousin wore the concern he felt for me on his sleeve despite how badly he didn't want to talk to me. And despite how badly he didn't want to talk to me, I knew that Neji wanted to know why I associate with vampires. In his eyes I am a victim and he can't leave me with the enemy. So deep down somewhere inside of him, Neji cares about me and I suspect that he believes that I wasn't just telling him nonsense about his identity. He's only denying who he is because he must be able to feel that he is not Moya Minami. He probably knows that he is Neji Hyuga, my cousin.

"Hinata," Neji said. "What are you doing with vampires? Nanase told me that you knew the vampire that came to my house with Megumi but I didn't believe her. Now I can see that she was right. What is going on?"

"They aren't bad people, Neji," I told him, noticing that he made an expression of disapproval when I called him by his true name. "Not all vampires are bad."

"False. Vampires are evil personified. Your "friends" are toying with you so that they can eat you later."

"You don't believe that, do you? Back at the house when your family was debating whether vampires have feelings or not you seemed to disagree when they determined that they don't. You know that they aren't evil. They have hearts, too."

"That doesn't mean that they are not dangerous, Hinata." My cousin crossed his arms, clenched and unclenched his jaw, and fixed me with a hard look. "And I am not just saying this because those words were fed to me by my parents. I met a vampire that I believed was good once. He turned his back on me and killed my grandfather. I'm trying to protect you because I don't want something similar happening to you."

I didn't say anything for several seconds but when I did I sounded unsure of myself. "My friends are not going to hurt me or someone I love. They are not like that, Neji."

"I thought that, too. And then my grandfather was eaten."

I looked down at the ground. Sasuke wouldn't betray me, but I have second thoughts about Deidara often. He can be friendly when he wants to be, but when he decides that the world is too peaceful, he wreaks havoc. He destroys things when something goes well for him… but I think it's out of fear. Deidara is afraid of people getting close to him and living a peaceful life because he fears that the bliss that he has been longing for will be ripped from him. And after killing for 950 years, he also thinks that he doesn't deserve happiness. Deidara has a lot of issues, but I don't think that it's because he is evil. If he wanted to hurt me or someone that I loved then he had plenty of chances to.

I looked at my cousin and said firmly "My friends are not going to hurt me or someone that I love. And if they were to then there would be a reason behind it."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

"Fine." Neji uncrossed his arms. "What have you wanted to talk to me about? I have a feeling about what it is."

"I want you to come back to Konohagakure with me. I know that you have been avoiding me because you don't want to talk about this, but I'm not giving up. Come home with me, Neji."

"Why would I do that? This is my home and I belong here. Not only that, going with you means that I would be surrounded by vampires."

"You would not be surrounded, I only know two vampires. And you do not belong here. Konohagakure is where you belong. If you come with me then you'd see what I'm talking about."

"No." Neji went back to crossing his arms over his chest.

"Neji-"

"Stop calling me that!" he snapped. "'Neji' is not my name. I am not your cousin. My name is Moya, Hinata. Call me Moya or nothing at all."

In the past, when Neji got mad at me, I'd cry and let him have the last word. When he told me something I'd obey and never bring the situation up again. But not this time. My cousin needs to know the truth whether he likes it or not. I know that he would do the same for me if I were in his position.

I shook my head. "No. Neji _is_ your name and you _are_ my cousin. And I know that this place," I gestured to the area around us, "isn't where you belong. And I know that you know it, too. You're scared to find out the truth so you're hiding behind this new identity that personified when you lost your memory. You know who you are and you don't need me to tell you. You just don't want to delve into your memory to pull out what you have forgotten." I put my hand over my heart and stared down at the ground again. "It hurts that you don't want to remember me and our family, especially after how persistent I have been to help you find yourself and us."

Neji's face softened a little and he dropped his arms. "Somehow… Somehow that felt out of character. I feel as though that is something that you would have not normally done, Hinata."

"No… No, I do not normally fight back, but I care about you that much. I'm only trying to help you." I rubbed my arm and bit my bottom lip before adding, "I know that I cannot force you to go anywhere that you don't want to, so I can't make you come back to Konohagakure with me. But I want to let you know that I'm going home tonight. If you want to come with me the offer still stands."

Neji didn't respond. He instead turned to Nanase and said "Nanase, come on. We are resuming the hunting mission."

Neji went on ahead but Nanase stopped by me before catching up with my cousin. Her lips met my ears and she said in a voice barely audible "If Moya goes to Konohagakure with you expect to see me there, too. I won't hand him over so easily to a whiny bitch."

I watched Nanase catch up to Neji and felt nothing but pity for her. Neji wouldn't choose a girl like her even if he noticed her interest in him.

"Impressive," Deidara told me as he came up beside me, making butterflies swarm in my stomach. "I think that your words got through to him."

"I hope so. I want nothing more than to see him back in our country with me… I also hope that he at least remembers most of the memories that he lost."

"We'll just have to wait and see _if_ he decides to come along."

I nodded and then looked up at Deidara, furrowing my brows. "What's on your mind?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I was, uh, reading your mind when you were talking to your cousin." Deidara ignored my facial expression when he mentioned the mind reading and continued to speak. "Do you really think I'm afraid to be happy?"

"It's a theory. I find you hard to read and when I think I have you figured out, you do something that completely throws me off. So I came down with the conclusion that you're afraid of losing any happiness that you obtain." I paused. "But why do you sound hopeful, Deidara?"

"Because somewhere along the line of 950 years I lost myself. I don't even know who I am anymore. Am I still a monster? Or am I turning into something better? Perhaps something worse. I don't know anymore. But if you can figure me out then you're pretty amazing. You're even more perceptive than I thought. I'm surprised that you're not a _slayer_ like your cousin."

I smiled and I felt my face getting hot after he called me amazing. I played it off with nonchalance by saying "Let's be glad that I'm not. Being a _slayer_ doesn't sound fun at all."

"No. No it doesn't." Deidara turned me around along with him by slinging an arm over my shoulders. "Let's head back. I still haven't packed up."

"Of course," I sighed.

We went back together with his arm still resting on my shoulders and the butterflies in my belly refused to die down because of it. When we were close to the hotel, a woman called out my name. Deidara released me and we both turned to see who it was. My body went rigid and my eyes widened. I felt the color drain from my skin when my eyes locked with a woman that sounded like and looked exactly like Temari the hybrid. Standing next to her was a boy who looked a few years younger than her with brown hair that carried spikiness similar to Gaara's.

"It's finally nice to meet you," the woman said. "My baby brother has said a lot about you, Hinata."

I glanced at Deidara, who was unfazed by her appearance, and swallowed the shock that came over me to answer her. "U-Um, your brother?"

"Gaara," she said. "He hasn't mentioned us? Ugh, that kid. I am Temari and this is my younger brother, and Gaara's older brother, Kankuro."

Kankuro merely waved and I returned the gesture.

"G-Gaara has mentioned you before. He just hasn't said much," I said.

"Figures." Temari smiled largely. "Gaara talks about you a lot and Kankuro and I wanted to meet you out of curiosity."

"Really? What does he say?"

"Oh what any teenage boy who just got their first girlfriend would say. You're beautiful, kind, smart, has a way with words. But what made me want to meet you was that you defended him last week. Thank you for that." Then Temari gave me a mischievous smirk. "I also was curious because I heard that you borrowed clothes from me that Gaara let you keep after you stayed overnight. You also slept in the same bed as him, which surprised me."

I felt Deidara's eyes on me and my face got hot. "W-We didn't have sex, I swear, and I'll return your clothes if you want."

"No need. I'm so grateful for the change that you brought upon him that you can keep them," Temari said.

"But I do wish that you slept with him," Kankuro said. "They say that sex is a great stress reliever."

Now my face was burning hot and I felt lightheaded. "G-Gaara and I are not dating a-and we were not even thinking of s-s-sex."

"Okay," Deidara said, stepping into the conversation. "Hinata and I have to go. We're going home today and we have to pack."

"Aw, oh well," Temari said. "It was nice meeting you. Come back anytime. Maybe next time you come to Sunagakure we'll go shopping for lingerie."

That last comment was a joke but I couldn't help from blushing wildly. "N-Nice meeting you, too. Bye."

Deidara led me away because he figured that I couldn't walk on my own without help. I, on the other hand, could not believe that they were bold enough to say those things to me, especially in front of someone else. And in public. I don't know about Kankuro, but Temari seems to be worse than Ino.

"Why did she look exactly like your former teacher?" I blurted.

He merely shrugged as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Faces repeat over time. I've seen enough doppelgangers over the years to last me a lifetime."

"But wasn't that, I don't know, weird? Seeing a person who looked like your former teacher that you killed not too long ago?"

"Nope. Absolutely not. By the way," he slung his arm over my shoulder and gestured to the both us with his hands as he said, "we killed her."

My mouth dropped in astonishment. "I did no such thing!"

He laughed aloud and released me.

We returned to the Shodai Kazekage and Deidara went straight to his room to pack up. I went to my room and let myself fall on the bed that I was using. Moments later Sakura and Ino walked in. They sat down on the beds that they were using with fully packed suitcases.

"How did it go with Neji?" Sakura asked.

"It went better than I expected, but I still don't know if he's coming with us. I told him that we're leaving tonight, in case he wants to come," I said, sitting up from the bed.

"He better. Does he think that you're going to kill him or something when we arrive?" Ino then said sarcastically, "Because you look like you've murdered before."

"That's not it," I said, suppressing a laugh. "Other than that, I met Gaara's siblings not too long before I got here."

"Oh yeah?" Sakura said. "Are they nice?"

"Yeah, but they… support Gaara and me having sex, which is kind of odd."

"Awesome! Go for it!" Ino said, standing up abruptly. "You don't get chances like this very often."

"Stop it," Sakura told Ino, making her sit back down. Sakura said to me "They sound like interesting people."

"They might be," I said. "I think Temari, Gaara's older sister, will get along well with Ino, sad as it is to say."

"What do you mean "sad as it is to say"? Everyone needs a bit of Ino to light up their lives, right?" Ino said.

"Yeah right," Sakura said to Ino.

"You know it's true, Sakura," Ino said, shrugging her shoulders.

I lay down on the bed as my two friends began to argue. I let my mind wander and for some reason I thought of Nanase. I recalled that Emiko said that she was a sweet girl and she doesn't usually act the way that she is now, but I'm wondering if anyone actually knew the real Nanase. If she was truly kind then I would have seen it in her eyes despite how hateful she acts. I can see that she hates me in her eyes but I can't tell just how much. With the way she treats me, I can see that it runs deep. But why does it run that deep? Surely it can't be just because Neji cares for me. There must be something else, but what?

Nanase also said that she'd be there if Neji decided to come back to Konohagakure with me. If that were to happen then I can't help but to worry about what she'd be able to do to me while there. I don't think she would kill me but I still have to be cautious. When it comes to "saving" Neji I think that Nanase is willing to do whatever she believes necessary to keep him by her side. And if that means eliminating me then she'll do it without hesitation.

"What time does the plane leave?" Ino asked Sakura.

"At five o' clock," Sakura responded. "We have to head down there soon."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to text Gaara to tell him when I'd be leaving. He didn't respond like I expected. I was hoping to say goodbye to him before I left but I might not be able to. I'm sure that he's buried to his neck in paperwork and doesn't have time to text me back or see me off. I'll just call him when I get back to Konohagakure.

After I put my phone back in my pocket, someone knocked on the door. I called out "Come in" and sat up again.

Sasuke opened the door but didn't come in. "Good, you're all here," he said. "The boys and I were wondering if you wanted to do something before we leave. The six of us didn't get the chance to hang out so…"

During the last sentence his eyes found mine. I looked away to avoid eye contact. There was something in his eyes that made me feel guilty and I didn't want to look at him. I wish I had the word for the message in his eyes but I couldn't think of it. All I can say is that it made me feel guilty for being pissed at him and I don't know why. It just better not be some form of compulsion or else I really will hit him and I'll make sure that it hurts.

"You don't even have to ask, gorgeous," Ino said to Sasuke.

"What do you have in mind?" Sakura asked.

"Well, we were hoping that you three had somewhere that you wanted to go," Sasuke said. "We can't decide."

"We can always break into the bank, steal all of their money, and then cross the border," Ino said. "I've always wanted to rob a bank."

The three of us stared at Ino and her only response was a shrug of her shoulders. The scary part about it is I think she was serious.

"Or," I said, "we can go exploring. There are a lot of things that we still have yet to see."

"That sounds like fun to me, but I can't say the same for Naruto," Sasuke said. "Not only that, we don't have enough time."

"What about the amusement park?" Sakura suggested.

"There's an amusement park here?" Ino asked.

"I think so. I saw a Ferris wheel on the far eastern side of the city. I think we should check it out."

"Let's go then," I said, looking at everyone. Looking into Sasuke's eyes still made me feel guilty, making me feel even worse. Why the heck do I feel guilty? That is the last emotion that I want to feel when looking at him. If anything, I should be angry.

"I'll go tell the others. Meet us in the lobby," Sasuke said, leaving the room.

Moments later we all met up in the lobby and headed out east. It took much longer than I thought to get there, especially in the heat, and once we arrived it turned out that it wasn't an amusement park. It was just a Ferris wheel sitting by itself near a dock. No one was disappointed though. Naruto proposed that we give it a try since we came all the way here.

The Ferris wheel had eight carts that were two seaters so we had to use it in pairs. Sakura sat with Naruto, Ino with Deidara, and Sasuke with me. I was a little reluctant to go on with Sasuke because of the way he made me feel just by looking at me, and I also didn't want to go on the wheel because the cart didn't have a roof or handles to hold on to. But I went on anyway to both overcome my guilt, brave my fear, and to prevent Deidara from laughing at me.

As soon as the Ferris wheel began to move, I clutched on to my seat and I refused to look down. My heart was beating so hard that I'm sure that Sasuke could hear it. Sasuke wasn't paying any attention to me though. He was looking at Sunagakure in awe as we slowly traveled to the wheel's summit. I almost wanted to look to see how beautiful Sunagakure was, but I couldn't bring myself to look over the edge. And when our cart stopped at the top my heart stopped beating and I felt like I was going to throw up or pass out.

The fact that our cart stopped at the top means that the ride should be over soon, but that didn't soothe me. It made every fear in me increase because Sasuke stood up to breathe in the sandy city's view.

"W-What are you doing?" I asked. I was tempted to pull him back down but my body was paralyzed with fear.

Instead of answering me with words like a normal person, Sasuke extended his hand to me for me to take. I stared at his hand, up at him, and then back down at his hand. Slowly, I removed a hand from my seat to meet his hand. He pulled me up and I stood next to him to look out at the city with him. It took a lot of effort to take my eyes from the floor, but I pushed myself until I met Sunagakure.

Grains of sand rode on the wind and danced around us as I took in the city's features. The buildings stood firm and tall as their sandy contents glimmered in the sun. Birds soared proudly over Sunagakure and danced along with the sand that mingled with their wings. The bright, yellow sun welcomed us with its warmth by bathing the country in its heat, making every grain of sand sparkle in its intense radiance.

"Beautiful, right?" Sasuke said. "You would have missed it if you continued to sit down."

"Yeah… Good thing I didn't."

The wheel began to move again, making me stagger. I clutched onto Sasuke's shirt before I fell which made him laugh. I shot him a quick glare before I steadily made my way back to my seat. Sasuke didn't sit down just yet. He remained standing to look out at Sunagakure, the smile never leaving his face. I couldn't help but to think that he was insane. Sasuke wasn't the slightest bit afraid of falling from hundreds of feet in the air. I bet the thought never crossed his mind.

The ride ended several minutes later and all of us headed back to the hotel. We gathered all of our belongings, checked out, and made our way to the airport. On the way to the airport Ino complained about Deidara.

"Your friend is crazy, Hinata," Ino said. "While we were going up on the Ferris wheel he kept rocking the cart. I almost fell out!"

"That sounds like something he'd do," I said flatly.

"But that's not all! He stood up on the seat while we were still moving."

I let out a brief laugh and came up with an excuse for his hyper activeness and sadism. "Sometimes I think Deidara has ADHD."

"Hey!" Deidara said, rushing up from behind us. "Not true. I like scaring people and Ino just so happened to be the target. If Sakura or you were my cart partner then I'd do the same to you or her." He looked at me as he said "And sadism doesn't come in the ADHD department."

My best friends and I scoffed simultaneously as a response.

Deidara threw his arms over all of our shoulders, bringing us closer together. He leaned down so that our faces were leveled. "Aw, ladies don't be mad. I like teasing you." He looked at Sakura. "Now I just need to scare you."

"That's not going to happen," Sakura told him.

"Stop messing with the girls, Deidara," Naruto said.

"It's fun to mess with them," Deidara said, releasing my friends and me to return to Naruto and Sasuke. "Would you rather take their place?"

"Enough," Sasuke said just as Naruto opened his mouth. "You're not acting like this when we get to the airport. I'll more than happily leave you here if you do."

That shut them up and when we entered the airport they didn't say a word. We sat our luggage by the nearest seats that we could find while Sakura and Ino paid for our tickets with the money that we all put together. While we waited, Sasuke called my attention by asking "Isn't that your cousin?"

I looked in the direction that Sasuke was pointing and swallowed hard. Neji was approaching us with a two large suitcases in his hands. He sat them down on the floor when he reached me.

"You came," I said, both relieved that he came and that Nanase wasn't with him.

"Yeah. This seemed like the right thing to do." Neji drew a breath and looked me directly in the eyes. "I want to apologize for how I treated you earlier. You were right about me. I have always known that this was not the life that I was supposed to live. I always knew that I was supposed to be somewhere else with someone else, but I was too afraid to find out exactly what I was missing. I'll go with you to find out everything that I have forgotten."

I blinked hard to stop my tears from falling.

"And," he added, "I guess that means that I'll have to get along with your… vampires."

"Hey, the feeling is mutual, _slayer_ boy," Deidara said.

"We aren't thrilled about this either," Sasuke said. "But we will do our best to get along with you too, Neji. Right Deidara?"

"I suppose," Deidara mumbled.

Tension was building up quickly between the three of them until Naruto broke it with the clearing of his throat. He shook Neji's hand and said "I'm Naruto by the way, Hinata's friend."

My cousin shook his hand without introducing himself. I figured that there was no introduction because he's still unsure about who he was. It gave me a little hope because my plan might actually work. When we get back home he might recover his memories. If not, then he will recover them somewhere along the way because he is actually willing to remember.

"We got the tickets," Sakura said as she and Ino approached us.

"Good thing we bought seven," Ino said, looking at Neji. She then whispered to Sakura "I knew he would come."

"Whatever," she whispered back. "Let's get on the plane. It'll be leaving soon."

Everyone picked up their bags and proceeded to our destination. I was about to hand my bags to one of the security guards so that he could scan it when someone called out "Wait."

I turned around to see Gaara breathing heavily and perspiring with his guards not too far behind him. Some people were murmuring about the Kazekage's appearance, others were star struck, and the rest were looking at me since I was the one he was speaking to. I swallowed hard and met up with the Kazekage.

"I'm glad that I got here on time," Gaara said in between breaths.

I smiled at him. "Did you run here just to see me off?"

"Of… Of course."

"Why? If you were busy you shouldn't have come. I don't want to interfere with your work."

"I told you before that I would always make time for you. I just wish that I could have made more." The Kazekage caught his breath before he continued. "I hope to see you again soon, Hinata. No matter what time of the day, do not be afraid to call me. I will always leave my schedule open for you."

"I will, Gaara. I'm a little sad to go. I'm going to miss your country and you."

"I'm going to miss you, too."

Gaara rested a hand on my face and stared at me adoringly. At first I didn't know what he was doing. It was only when he leaned down that I realized what he was going to do. Our lips brushed gently against one another before I got the chance to object, but once our lips touched, I had to admit that it felt kind of nice. He didn't have to the pair of lips that I wanted to be brushing mine against, but it still felt nice. Although, no matter how nice it felt to me, there was no spark.

I didn't know what to say after he stopped kissing me. So I backed away from him and said whatever first came to mind. "I'll see you later, Gaara."

"See you later," he said softly with a small smile. He seemed not to notice the awkwardness in my voice.

He watched me until I was no longer within his view. Sakura, Ino, Naruto, and Sasuke were smiling at me while we made our way to the plane, and Deidara looked jealous. He's the one who wanted me to keep my distance from him, so I don't think that he has much of a right to be jealous. I'm doing exactly what he wanted me to do by moving on. Of course I wasn't quite ready to move on, but it was only a matter of time before my unrequited feelings for Gaara become mutual. He's a nice guy and that should be enough for me to begin to like him right?

As wrong as it is, Deidara's jealousy made me feel happy. Using Gaara to make Deidara jealous was never my plan, and I would never ever consider doing it, but seeing how much he disliked me and the Kazekage kissing relieved me. It let me know that he still loved me.

Everyone boarded the plane quickly so I didn't get to choose where I'd get to sit, and I ended up next to the window and an empty seat. I expected one of my friends to sit beside me but Neji did instead, which completely took me by surprise. I expected him to sit in an empty seat. He didn't say anything. He just plugged his earphones into his PSVita, let his head fall back against the seat as he closed his eyes and clenched and unclenched his jaw. I looked out of the window and jolted when I felt his hand on mine. I smiled at him and looked back out the window.

"_I suppose that there really isn't anything for me to worry about after all," _I thought to myself as I stared out at the orange colored sky.


	15. Recollection

The seven of us arrived in Konohagakure twenty-four hours later after we left the sandy city, Sunagakure. I parted ways with Gaara, the Kazekage, and I was already missing his country. We kissed each other good bye before I left and I can still feel his soft lips on mine. Every time I recall that, my face gets hot. I plan on calling him when I get home, but I can't guarantee that he'll answer since he is always so busy. Gaara said that he'll also leave his schedule open for me so I can call him or visit him whenever I like, but that'll be complicated because of my wanting to spend as much time as I possibly can with my cousin.

I found my cousin, Neji, in Sunagakure coincidentally in a convenience store on my first day in Sunagakure. He called himself Moya Minami due to the fact that he acquired amnesia from a car crash seven years ago that he survived. We both had been in the car that day, and I thought he was dead. It turned out that a vampire carried him off somewhere to feed on him because of a rumor that _slayer_ blood can strengthen vampires. He survived because of the blood coursing through his veins, but it's still a mystery why I lived too. He and I were the only ones to survive.

Neji decided to come with me back to Konohagakure after I convinced him one last time. He met us at the airport before we were about to board the plane and still appeared to be reluctant to go. But once we arrived at the Konoha airport he seemed to be very uncomfortable and it wasn't because of the vampires. He took his time leaving the port and his skin had gotten paler the farther we got into the city. I figured he was getting sick from the ride but my gut told me otherwise.

"Are you okay?" I asked my cousin.

"My head just hurts. I'll be fine."

I smiled softly at him because he sounded sure of himself, but it didn't ease me. Something was telling me to keep a close eye on him because something was going to happen soon.

I walked beside my cousin while my other friends walked in front of us. It was when we hit Konoha Square when Neji screamed. I jolted and looked at my cousin who had dropped his suitcases. He was holding onto his head tightly and was now crouching on the ground next to me. I knelt beside him and placed a hand on his back only to have him flinch away from me.

"Neji, what's wrong?" I asked. Thankfully I sounded much calmer than I felt.

"My… My head…"

His words were strained and it was hard for me to understand him.

My gut was telling me to hold onto him, so I did. When I held him in my arms he fainted almost immediately. He was heavy so I lost my balance with him in my arms and I fell on the ground. Sasuke took him from me and Naruto grabbed his bags.

"Let's take him to the church," Sasuke said.

I stood up from the ground and said "Wait. I don't think Neji will be very comfortable waking up with… you know."

Sasuke furrowed his brows and asked "Then what do you suppose we do with him?"

"We can always bring him to Hinata's apartment," Naruto suggested. "It's better than the church, and I bet Hinata's going to want to spend time with her cousin when he wakes up."

Sasuke didn't agree with the idea, but he said "Okay" anyway.

"I'll call you later, Hinata," Sakura called out to me as Sasuke (along with Neji), Naruto, and I went off towards my house.

I smiled and waved the rest of my friends good bye.

When the four of us entered my apartment, Naruto sat Neji's luggage by my doorway and told me that he's going home because it looks like it's going to storm soon. I had been so occupied with Neji that I didn't even notice the thick, dark clouds quickly covering the blue sky that we came home to.

Sasuke laid my cousin down on my double bed as I let Naruto out. Once Naruto was gone I told Sasuke "You should go home, too. We might get a nasty storm tonight."

"Are you going to be fine with… your cousin here alone with you?" he asked.

"Yes, Sasuke." I didn't bother hiding the irritation in my voice. "I'll be fine. Neji's not going to hurt me."

Sasuke furrowed his brows at me as he made his way towards the door. "He's a _slayer_ who knows that you are friends with vampires. There is a chance that he'll try to kill you."

"He won't. And you need to trust him or else you'll never get along."

My raven haired friend sighed heavily. "Just be careful. Okay?"

"Yeah," was all I said when I let him out, locking the door behind me.

I let out a deep breath and looked at my cousin. I slowly made my way over to him to sit beside his unconscious body. Once seated, I gently ran my fingers through his silky, dark brown hair that was longer than mine. He looked so peaceful, almost as if he was asleep. But I knew better. Neji had looked sickly on the plane and when we got closer to the Square his features had gotten poorer. If he had been feeling strange he should have said something.

I removed my fingers from his hair and felt his forehead for a fever. There was no fever, but his face was beginning to flush. And even though he had no fever, I went into the kitchen, wet a cloth with water, and placed it on his forehead. I wish that I could do more for him but, unfortunately, I had to wait until he woke up in order to find out whether he was okay or not.

I wasn't used to seeing Neji like this. He never got sick when we were kids and seeing him look so pale is odd and a little frightening. His skin is deathly pale but I'm figuring that is because of the _slayer_ in him having vampire traits.

This is obviously more than a headache or migraine, but I have no idea as to what this could be. It could be because Neji isn't used to the environment here anymore, but getting sick from a new environment doesn't usually kick in until a day or two. We were hardly here for an hour and he has fallen ill.

Figuring that I had been hovering over Neji for long enough, I got up to check out the weather outside by looking out of the window. I drew back the curtain masking the outside world and peered out of the small window. Wind was blowing so hard that the trees were forced to dance along with the harsh rhythm of the constant gusts. And the rain was falling down so rapid and hard that the water was quickly consuming my window, veiling the ugliness taking place outside. I feel bad for the people that have to drive and walk in this.

"So he is finally remembering everything," said a voice coming from my front door.

I jumped and whipped my head around to see Haku standing in front of my closed front door. He was sopping wet from head to toe. His long, black hair (that was longer from the last time that I saw him) clung to his beautiful face and his slender body. He appeared to be unaffected from being drenched as he stared at me with his piercing, brown eyes.

Haku gave me a knowing gaze as he nodded towards Neji.

"How did you get in here?" I asked, moving away from the window and towards him.

He ignored my question and went back to my cousin. "He is remembering, Hinata. I would stay by his bedside if I were you. He is going to need you when he awakens."

I frowned at the young gypsy. Something seemed off about him. He wasn't himself and he wasn't trying to hide it. I didn't know Haku very well, but I think that he would have knocked instead of letting himself in regardless if his being here was urgent. I think that he would have even called first since he somehow has my number and-

"You can stop trying to read me, Hinata," Haku said, interrupting my thoughts. "I am not hiding anything from you. And as for me mysteriously getting inside of your home, I made a copy of your key whilst you slept at my house."

"H-How did you…?"

"That is not our concern right now," he told me with a small, sweet smile. "I told you on our first meeting that I would come visit you when I was allowed to give you some important information based on your life changing tragedy. I come bearing information regarding the car crash that took place seven years ago."

My eyes widened. "But don't I already know everything about it?"

Haku fixed me with the soul-seeing gaze that he used on me the first time I met him. He used it to reach into my memories to find out everything that I experienced during the crash that changed my, and Neji's, life. I'm guessing that he's searching for what I learned from Hisao and Hitomi when I visited Neji's home.

"You do not know everything," Haku said when the soul-seeing gaze faded. "In fact, you are missing the most important part of the story."

My heart stopped and began to ache. I clutched my chest and Haku watched me with that infamous knowing gaze that was beginning to annoy me.

"Your heart bothers you often when something upsets you, correct?" Haku asked slowly.

I hesitated. "Y-Yes, but it only began a few months ago… Why?"

He took his eyes from my chest to meet my eyes. He looked sad when he told me "Unfortunately I am not the one to tell you why… All they are allowing me to tell you is that an unexpected visitor granted you life, and the pain you feel is the result of it."

"Is that all you can tell me, Haku? That message is pretty vague."

The boy closed his eyes. He tilted his head slightly and appeared to be listening to someone whispering something to him. After a few seconds he opened his eyes again. "They say that you will meet this person soon. That is all."

I sighed and rubbed my neck after the pain in my chest suddenly disappeared. "Okay. Before we talk, do you want to wash your hair and change? I might be able to find something that doesn't look too feminine for you, but you are going to get sick if you stay in those clothes."

Haku's stunning face twisted in confusion as he cocked his head to the side and stared at me with his innocent, brown eyes. He looked down at himself and felt his clothing. The gypsy's face turned an adorable shade of pink when he noticed that he was soaked and the puddle on the floor beneath him was increasing by the minute.

"A-Anything is fine, Hinata."

I fished out a T-shirt with a pink bunny on it and gray sweat pants from the dresser by my bed in my studio-like apartment and directed Haku to the bathroom down the small hallway. Once he finished showering and changing, he sat on my sofa next to me with a tint of pink still on his face and dark locks that were dripping wet. I laughed silently to myself because he smelled like my melon scented Garnier Fructis shampoo. Even though he looked like a girl, I still found it odd for a boy to use a girl's shampoo and to wear their clothing.

"How did you not know that you were wet?" I asked as I masked all adoration I was feeling for the gypsy with a casual question.

Haku seemed to not notice that I was staring at him like he was some adorable preschooler and said "It happens sometimes. They," I couldn't help but to look up at the ceiling when Haku said "they", "tell me to do something and I go do it. In the process of completing their request, I am unaware of my surroundings until the job is done."

"That's a little rude, isn't it? You can get hurt during it if you're," I paused, trying to find the right word to use, "in a trance."

Haku shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to come off nonchalant but it failed miserably. "That is one of the prices that I have to pay. They are very hard to please once a rule is broken."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What rule?"

"I will tell you later when Sasuke is with us. I want him to know, too. Right now we need to discuss the crash."

I automatically shifted in my seat and braced myself. Whatever it was that I am missing must be big. My heart is racing and I'm nervous without even knowing whether the news is good or bad.

"There is no sense in delaying the information with unnecessary hesitation, so I am going to come out and say it," Haku said. "The crash was not an accident."

My body went stiff as all the color drained from me. "What…?"

"The crash was not an accident. It was intentional, Hinata. You already know that a vampire was driving the truck that collided with your car on the way back to Konohagakure. What you do not know is that the vampire purposely sought you and your family out to kill you all. The main target was Neji but, as you can see, that failed." Haku stared at me with a sympathetic gaze. "Hisao and Hitomi did not tell you the truth behind finding Neji. They told you that they found the vampire feeding on him not too far from the 'accident'. The truth is that the vampire died on impact with your car. It was a suicide mission given to him by his superiors. Hisao and Hitomi also said that they did not know who the police and ambulance were affiliated with when they arrived at the scene so they could not return Neji to his homeland. That was false. They knew exactly where he came from as well as the rest of the family." Haku's sympathetic gaze turned hard when I turned away from him. "They also played a part in the vampire crashing into your car. Emiko was the one who told the vampires where you would be and where you were going."

"No way," I whispered.

"There is more," Haku said, making me look at him again. "Yesterday, Neji told you that he had a vampire friend that killed his grandfather and he no longer trusts them because of that. That vampire was trying to protect Neji from his grandfather because the vampire knew about the conspiracy. The Minamis killed the vampire so that he could not tell Neji what he learned."

"But… But why did they want Neji so bad? _Slayers_ are found everywhere, so why did they want Neji?"

"Your cousin is special. He is a cross between a human and a _slayer._ Neji's father, your uncle, was a human and his mother was a _slayer_. Yes, it is common for humans and _slayers_ to make offspring, but Neji is a special case… His grandmother on his mother's side was a full bred _slayer_ but his grandfather was a vampire. In the _slayer_ world, the offspring of a _slayer_ and a vampire is an abomination. They only say this because such creatures are the only beings in history to be stronger than _slayers_. The gypsies that discovered this sometime over five hundred years ago wanted to dispose of them right away, so they did. There has not been such a being since until now." Haku faced Neji again. "Hisao and Hitomi also lied to you when they said Neji screamed during the night because of nightmares. The truth is that he was remembering everything that happened, and he was calling out your name because he knew that you survived. But unfortunately Neji woke up every morning forgetting everything that he recalled. I am told that he was drugged every night before he went to bed to prevent any recollection."

"How did Neji know that I was alive? I remember him being unconscious when we were hit," I said.

"Slayers are very hard to kill. In turn, even though Neji may have appeared dead, he was alive. Daichi and Kaoru pulled him out of the car after it crashed… That is all that I am allowed to tell you for now."

"There's still more that I don't know that you can't tell me? When can you tell me this time?"

"…Whenever the unexpected visitor drops into your life again providing another message for you. That person will fill in most of the blanks and I will fill in the rest when the time comes."

I exhaled heavily, letting my head fall back against the back of the couch. All of this information that Haku bears that he is only allowed to tell "when the time comes" must be overwhelming. If it's overwhelming for me just to listen to him whenever he tells me something new, it must be exhausting to receive information and keep most of it a secret from your friends. What does it feel like to be the last gypsy? I can only assume that it must be hell.

"He is awaking," Haku told me as he walked into my kitchen and pulled out a cup from my cabinet. "Do not tell Neji what I just told you about his adoptive family. I will tell him when the time comes."

I nodded my head and got up from the couch to sit beside Neji. He began to stir immediately after I sat down as if he felt someone familiar with him there. His pale eyes shot open and found me instantly. He stared at me as if I was a ghost and slowly sat up from the bed, making the damp cloth fall from his forehead and onto his lap. He reached out, touched my face briefly with his fingertips, and pulled back as if my skin burned him. My cousin's eyes widened as he glanced down at his hand and then back up at me.

"You're not a dream…" he whispered to himself more than to me as tears filled his eyes and spilled over in mass amounts.

"No," I answered shakily as I shook my head. Tears blurred my vision when I reached out and rested a hand on Neji's warm face. My cousin placed a hand on the hand that I had on his face and rested his head into my palm. He smiled genuinely at me and more tears escaped from him.

I couldn't help myself. I pulled Neji close to me as I clasped him in my arms. I buried my face into his long hair and sobbed like I never did before. My cousin was back! I had never thought that I would be able to hear his voice again, touch him, or smell him again. This was more than I could have asked for. Not only did he piece all of the missing fragments of his lost memory together in a few hours, he also missed me just as much as I did him, if not more.

Neji pulled away from me slightly to wipe away the tears expelling from his eyes. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," he said.

"I think I do," I replied, wiping the tears from my eyes, too.

We hugged tightly once more and I breathed in his familiar scent. Neji broke away from me when he noticed Haku leaning against the back of the couch drinking a cup of water.

"Haku?" Neji said, sounding unsure of himself. "What are you doing here?"

The young gypsy took one more sip of water before answering. "I'm a friend of Hinata's. I came because I sensed her return to Konohagakure."

"You two know each other?" I asked.

"Yes," Haku said after taking another sip of water. "The Minami family hired me often to locate nefarious vampires with magic. I also went on hunting missions frequently with Neji and Nanase during Nanase's _slayer_ training. Neji and I also went on missions with just the two of us a few times."

Neji narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Haku. "Did you know who I was when we met?"

"Yes," he answered automatically. Haku walked over to my cousin and handed him the cup that he had been drinking from. "I know that you must be thirsty after all that you went through." When Neji took the cup Haku added "You will be even thirstier soon."

"There is more that you have to tell me?" Neji asked.

"Yes, but not yet. You will have to be patient with me on this one. I was not given information on when I am permitted to tell you. They are being very secretive as of late, which is making me quite restless."

"You look restless," my cousin said sarcastically and then took a long drink from the cup.

He gave the cup back to Haku and the gypsy drank the rest of the water. "There is more information that I have to tell the both of you, but we have to go to the church so that Sasuke, Deidara, and Naruto can know."

"It's raining outside. I don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon, Haku," I said.

The gypsy walked over to the window that I was peering out of earlier and he opened up the curtain enough for Neji and me to see outside. The rain had completely cleared up and a large, glowing full moon hung over us with stars just as bright as the moon lingering in dark blue sky. It looked like the storm never happened.

"Let's go," Haku said. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them they were glowing white. He closed them again and reopened them for us to see his brown orbs. "Naruto and Deidara are on the way and I let Sasuke know that we are coming. We should not keep them waiting."

Neji and I glanced at each other briefly before nodding our heads to Haku's demand.

We left my apartment with Haku leading the way to the church. The boys were already waiting for us in the lobby when we arrived. As soon as we got through, Deidara stood up from the loveseat and approached Haku while laughing. The blonde vampire pointed to his shirt and asked "Is this Hinata's?" Deidara turned to me while still laughing. "You wear clothes like this?"

I felt my face getting hot in both embarrassment and frustration.

"Now is not the time for joking, Deidara," Haku said, smacking the vampire's hand away from the shirt in the process. "We did not come here for games."

Deidara rubbed his hand as if it actually hurt. "Were you always this feisty? It's not cute."

Haku frowned and brushed past him to go to Sasuke. "I have something to tell you first before I get to the other piece of information that I received." Haku motioned for Neji and me to come over. When we reached him, Haku said "The voices have stopped."

Sasuke uncrossed his arms and his face softened. "That's wonderful. When? How?"

When I met Haku for the first time he had been… attacked by multiple whispers in the wind that only he could hear. They came from several directions and swallowed him until he fell unconscious. When the voices were whispering to him he was helpless and vulnerable and hadn't a clue what to do, which was very uncharacteristic for him. After he collapsed, he woke up confused in the morning with a slight, brief pain in his head.

"I discovered that the voices were a curse put on me by my ancestors," Haku said. "The reason for it was because I killed a family member, my father. In normal cases, the curse kills whoever is afflicted by it within a year or less. But since I am the last gypsy, my ancestors decided to relieve me of it. They say apparently I am too valuable to allow to die even after committing a sin. So, in order to gain their trust again, I have to follow every order they give me whether it pleases me or not. If I do not, then, as Deidara says, all hell will break loose."

"I'm glad to see that you are cured, Haku," Sasuke said, smiling as he rested a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.

"Yes," the boy smiled back. "But now is not the time to celebrate. I come bearing some grim and… odd news."

"Our lives are based on grim and odd, Haku," Deidara said. "Whatever you have to say shouldn't really faze us."

"We will see," challenged the gypsy.

Despite Deidara claiming Haku's feistiness wasn't cute, he seemed to be enjoying it by the minute. And he proved my thoughts right with a smile when Haku challenged him.

"This involves the _slayers_, so pay close attention," Haku said, sitting down next to a sleepy Naruto who was still in his pajamas. We all gathered around once Haku began to say more. "An abnormal phenomenon has occurred recently all over the world. _Slayers_ have begun killing creatures other than vampires." Everyone besides Naruto and me were shocked by this and Haku sensed our lack of emotion. He explained to us "_Slayers_ were meant to slay vampires **only**. It is what we created them for and what they live for, but that has been severed by the sudden outbreak of mass murders of other creatures. I would like to say that they are malfunctioning, but we granted them freewill for their services in slaying vampires for us so they are not malfunctioning. They are doing this out of freewill."

"Well," Naruto said, "as long as they're killing evil monsters then you have nothing to worry about, right?"

"Wrong. They are killing both impure and pure creatures, which is throwing the balance between them and the others out of order. And what is even more disturbing about this is that they are not just quick kills. They let the creatures suffer by torturing them with their kryptonite, and then erase them from existence in a brutal fashion. I tried looking further into this odd phenomenon but I cannot find anything. All I know is that the murders are getting closer and closer to Konohagakure, so I figured that if I come here then I could figure out why this is happening." Haku scanned each of our faces and rested on Sasuke's as he said "I was hoping that you all would help me find out since they refuse to tell me what is going on." He then gave a not-so-innocent smile at Sasuke when he told him "I intend on staying here until we find out what is going on. That way you can assist me whenever I need help."

"Sure," Sasuke said, oblivious to Haku's flirtation. "I will help you the best that I can, Haku."

Deidara looked like he wanted to smack Sasuke. "Where's he going to sleep, Sasuke? And he didn't even bring clothes."

"I can sleep in Hinata's old room," Haku said. "And I brought a month's worth of clothing with me."

"You didn't come in here with-" Deidara stopped talking when he saw Haku lean over the arm of the sofa to drag out three large suitcases stuffed with clothes. "When the hell did you-"

"Teleportation spell." The gypsy gave the blonde vampire that soul-seeing gaze that he gave me earlier. "You have not met many gypsies in your life. Maybe things would have been different for you had you befriended that redheaded gypsy back in 1456. She certainly liked you."

For the first time, and probably the last time, Deidara looked freaked out. "I'm going home. Make sure your psychic boyfriend is locked up nice and tight tonight so that I can get a peaceful sleep, Sasuke. I can just imagine him crawling out of my closet on all fours during the night spitting out ectoplasm with a rotating head."

"Boyfriend?" Sasuke repeated. "Go home, Deidara."

The blonde vampire shrugged his shoulders and left after saying goodnight to everyone.

Naruto laughed to himself and said "It's going to be fun to watch Deidara and Haku go at each other. I think Haku is the only one to stand against his 'terror' and make him retreat."

"I have to agree," Sasuke said.

"But other than that," Naruto said as he got up from the couch and stretched. "Looks like you got your memory back, Neji."

"Yes. It returned not too long before Haku summoned everyone here."

"That's good. Does that mean you're going to attend school with us? It starts in two weeks."

Neji and I exchanged glances. We haven't had the time to decide whether Neji was going to school with us or not. It hadn't even crossed my mind but now that Naruto mentioned it, I want him to go to school with us, too, and even more so if that'll mean he won't be going back to Sunagakure to those horrible people.

"Yes," Haku said. "Neji will be attending Konoha High as a senior, and I will be attending, too, as a sophomore. But in order to do that, Neji has to tell the Hokage that he is alive." The gypsy's voice suddenly turned sharp. "Neji, if you tell the Hokage that you are alive, that means that you will no longer be able to return to the Minami family. You will have to stay here. You do not have a lot of time to decide so do it fast."

"I have already made my decision," Neji said.

I was almost afraid to ask. Almost. "What _is_ your decision?"

Our eyes met and I knew what his choice was before he opened his mouth to say it. "I'm staying here. I will go to the Hokage tomorrow to tell him everything that happened."

"Good," Sasuke said. "I guess we will be seeing each other often then."

"Yeah."

My cousin hid his discomfort well from Sasuke and the others but I saw it right away. As soon as Sasuke spoke to him, Neji's body tensed up. I know that Neji will do everything in his power to get along with Deidara and Sasuke, but it's going to be harder to get them to actually trust each other. He'll more than likely get along with Sasuke before Deidara, but the process might take a while no matter how friendly they act towards one another. And if that's the case then we're in for a long school year.

"We should be heading home now," I said to my friends. "Neji and I have to get back on school schedule before the year starts."

"I do, too," Naruto yawned.

We said goodnight to each other before leaving the church. In a few minutes, Neji and I arrived home. We put on our pajamas before I suggested to him "You can sleep in the same bed as me if you want. The couch is a little rough and I have no futons."

"I don't mind. We used to do it when we were kids, so there's no harm in doing it now."

"Y-Yeah. I suppose." I fought back oncoming tears to tell him "I want to talk to you before we go to sleep."

My cousin sat on the edge of the bed. He removed the hair tie from his hair and let the long locks fall over his shoulders and down his back. "About what?"

I laid down on the side of the bed that was pressed against the wall. "Did you know a woman named Kurenai Yuhi?"

"Yes," he said, looking over his shoulder at me. "I met Kurenai a couple of times. A half year ago, _slayers_ discovered her body in the ocean and proclaimed her murderer to be a vampire. Why?"

"Well, she was my teacher once. I met the vampire who killed her and he told me that she was a _slayer_." I didn't bother naming the vampire in fear of Neji wanting to rip Sasuke's head off and got back to what had been bothering me ever since I found out that _slayers_ are stronger than vampires. "The vampire killed her effortlessly when she hunted him down. I was wondering if she was a _slayer _why did she die so easily? Aren't vampires supposed to be the prey?"

"Kurenai wasn't a _slayer_. Her husband, Asuma Sarutobi, was a _slayer_. He was killed by vampires along their child, and Kurenai acted out in revenge. She was so blinded by her hatred for vampires that she didn't even know what she was getting herself into regardless of what anyone told her. I would like to say that her death was her own fault but that would be cruel."

I should have known that Kurenai wasn't a _slayer_. It made perfect sense. Sasuke took her down like she was a… a human. She never stood a chance against him and I wished that she knew what she was walking into before she went out searching for death.

"Neji, I have one more question."

He laid down beside me and got comfortable after turning out the lamp on the bedside table. "Are you going to talk me to sleep?" he asked in an amused tone.

"This is the last one," I assured as I released a yawn. "What does it mean when a vampire's body temperature changes? Like from cold to warm or warm to hot?"

He laid next to me without saying anything. He stayed silent for so long that I thought he was sleeping until he finally responded. "I don't know the true answer to that. Hisao and Hitomi told me that vampires do not have emotions and they change their body temperature at will to fool their prey. They said that hot meant romantic feelings, warm for contentment and trust, and cold meant you're nothing but a meal. After meeting your vampire friends, I have second thoughts about them having no emotions. Your friends are very expressive, especially Deidara."

"I have to agree. He's just like a human, right?"

Neji shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah."

I knew immediately that scared him. He was afraid that if he got close to Deidara and Sasuke they would betray him by harming him or someone that he loves just like his vampire friend did that "betrayed" him by murdering his grandfather.

"You have nothing to worry about," I said. "They're friendly. You'll see that if you let yourself get close to them. Naruto didn't want anything to do with either of them once he found out what they were, but now he's close to both of them."

"It's harder than you think for me."

"Regardless, you will learn to trust them and they will do the same." I yawned again.

Neji smiled at me. "Goodnight, Hinata."

I returned the smile and said "Goodnight" before facing the wall to go to sleep.

Of course I didn't say anything to Neji, but I silently feared that when I woke up in the morning he wouldn't be there next to me. It took me forever to fall asleep no matter how tired I got because of how great my fear was. I even felt on his side of the bed to see if he was still there a couple of times during the night when he had long since drifted off to sleep. He was there every time I felt for him but I couldn't shake the paranoia consuming me until some point in the night Neji laced his fingers with mine and grumpily told me to go to sleep just like when we were kids. It was soon after that that I finally drifted off into a much needed slumber.


	16. New Student Orientation

It felt like a perfect morning. The sun rose up high, birds chirped merrily, and it wasn't too hot or too cold outside for the first time this summer. It was the perfect day to start the first day of school, and it could have been even better had it not been for Neji. For the first time in my entire life, I was late to school.

Don't get me wrong, I love my cousin and I am ecstatic that he is living with me now, but neither of us are used to sharing. During the night, one of us is hogging the blankets as well as each other's side of the bed, it takes forever for the other to get out of the shower, especially when Neji is washing his hair, and it's a battle just to brush our teeth at the small sink in the bathroom. We were both late to school this morning and Neji almost missed his IQ test.

At Konoha High, it's a requirement for first years and new students to take an IQ test so that the staff knows where to place the student. It's a quick test and the results are obtained within a few minutes after the test has been completed. The test results come back so fast that the staff often has a schedule ready for the students taking the test before homeroom ends.

When I walked my cousin to the testing site, Haku was already waiting for him there. I had to leave immediately after I dropped him off since I was running late and I knew that I was going to hear it from Iruka sensei as soon as I got to class. Lucky me, when I got to class, I was attacked by hugs instead of words as soon as I entered my homeroom.

"You act as though you haven't seen me all summer," I told Sakura and Ino when they finally released me.

"It feels that way," said Sakura.

"Yeah," Ino agreed. "We were too used to seeing you every day for two weeks."

"Well, I'm happy that you missed me," I said, walking over to my desk to sit down. "I missed you guys, too."

Sakura sat down at her desk but Ino leaned against mine.

Ino said "So Neji recovered his memory, huh? How's life at home with him?"

I filled them in on all of the issues we have with sharing and time management. They laughed and said that they were lucky to be only children. During their laughter, Iruka sensei came into the room and told everyone to be quiet and sit down. He went into discussing the rules (that have been said throughout all of my years at Konoha High for the school year) and told us what kind of behavior he expected out of us. He also went into what academics we'll all be attending as he passed out everyone's schedule.

Everything on my schedule looked good. The classes didn't look too hard and I knew most of the teachers teaching the subjects. I just had two problems with it. I had gym the very last period with Might Guy sensei, the fitness teacher that was way too enthused about exercise and youth, and Social Studies with Kakashi Hatake, the school nurse. At the end of the year last school year, the Social Studies teacher retired and principal Tsunade wasn't able to find someone to replace him until Kakashi sensei showed her his degree in that field. Now Kakashi is my Social Studies teacher and a part time school nurse/_slayer_ who wants to kill me.

Most students made sounds of satisfaction when they saw what classes that they'd be attending, and the rest made noises of disapproval. I just wonder who is going to be suffering through my classes with me this year. I'm hoping that Sakura or Ino are in at least three of my classes to keep me company, especially since Kakashi is one of my teachers.

I was looking over my schedule again and again, hoping that if I looked it over enough times Kakashi and Guy would disappear. I got so into my list that when Deidara slammed his hand down on my desk, I jolted and almost screamed.

"Let me see your schedule," he demanded.

"Did you really have to scare me to ask for it?" I asked.

"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you'd just hand your paper over to me without complaining."

I rolled my eyes at him and handed him my list, taking his in turn. Everything on his schedule was the same as mine, except for gym, and he had woodshop while I had Driver's Ed.

"So we both have Kakashi," Deidara said, still looking at my list as if he could also look it over enough times for Kakashi's name to disappear. "I guess that I'll be cutting a lot this year."

"No you're not." I took my paper back and handed him his own. "We both got to suck it up and go to his class. You're not leaving me alone with him."

"You wouldn't be alone. Naruto has him, too."

"Really? I hope that's just a coincidence."

"I don't think so, Princess. I think everyone knows about us." He gave me a devilish smirk that made me blush before going back to his seat.

During the few minutes we had left before we went off to go to our next class, I looked over Sakura's and Ino's list. The only subjects the three of us had together were Literature with Iruka sensei, lunch, and Driver's Ed. I couldn't help but think that this was done intentionally. Someone wanted to separate me as much as they could from my friends without it seeming suspicious. Every nerve in my body was pointing towards Tsunade, the head _slayer_ in this city, but I wasn't sure. She's not the one who makes the schedule, the counselors are.

The bell rang for us all to disperse and since Deidara, Naruto, and I had almost identical schedules, we chose to walk to Chemistry together. The desks held three people per table so we sat together. Naruto sat closest to the window, Deidara took the seat nearest to the aisle, and I was forced to sit between them. Our sensei, Ibiki Morino, went over the rules, how careful to be in the lab when working with the chemicals, and passed out our textbooks for us to take home. In the process, the students kept staring at sensei's face. He had deep, vicious scars all over his face and scalp. Ibiki sensei didn't tell us where he got them from no matter how times the kids asked and made them drop the subject.

My first thought was that he had gotten into an accident once upon a time, but Deidara leaned towards Naruto and me to whisper "Ibiki is a _slayer_."

My eyes widened and they widened even more when Naruto said "I could sense it right away."

"Since when can you do that?" I asked.

"I learned it from Haku after he settled in with Sasuke. _Slayers_ have a distinct smell. They kind of smell like cherries," Naruto said.

"Cherries?" Deidara and I said at the same time. Deidara then said "That's one cherry that I don't want to eat." He shuddered in his seat.

We quickly got off of the _slayer_ topic when Ibiki began walking around the room and started talking about video games. No doubt he heard what we were talking about with those ears of his. He should also already know what Deidara and Naruto are, but I don't know if he knows who I am. If he does, then the three of us have been set up by whoever made our schedules. I don't know what the _slayers_ are planning but whatever it is can't be good if they have eyes on us all of the time everywhere we go. School is supposed to be a safe ground for kids, but it's turning into the enemy's den.

The bell rang once again and we scurried off to the next period without giving Ibiki sensei a second glance. I figured that home economics would be easier to deal with but I was wrong. Again. Our sensei was Yugao Uzuki, a twenty-six year old woman with long, purple hair and brown eyes. Last year she joined our school, and during her first week with us her boyfriend, Hayate Gekko, died. Tsunade gave her time off to recuperate but she didn't return. Now she's back. I didn't find it surprising when Deidara told me that she is also a _slayer_. My gut told me that she was in with whatever Tsunade and the others had planned because she was fueled by revenge. It was said that Hayate died of illness, but the truth was that he was murdered. The culprit was never found but for all I knew the _slayers_ found the vampire who killed Hayate and took him out.

I'm sure that Yugao sensei returned to school after avenging her boyfriend's death. And one would think that anyone fulfilling their revenge would be at peace after accomplishing their goal. Not Yugao. I found her eyes wandering around the room still thirsty for more bloodshed. Killing the murderer wasn't enough. She wanted more. Yugao was not going to rest until all evil was gone.

Our next class was literature, the period where I met up with my friends again. Sakura and Ino met me at my desk and immediately began talking about their classes. Sakura told me about how easy they were while Ino complained about none of the teachers being hot. In her eyes, they were too old.

"Sit down, everyone," Iruka said. Once the children took their seats, Iruka began to speak again. "We got a new student joining us today. He's a sophomore so treat him nicely and assist him whenever he asks for help." He motioned towards the door. "You can come in now."

The kid walked in and observed the student body. To everyone who didn't know him, he appeared to be only looking at their faces, but I knew that he was reading them. He was checking out what kind of person each student was as he looked from face to face. When his eyes found me, he smiled and said "Hello Hinata."

Before I got the opportunity to wave, Deidara shot up from his seat and said "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Well, Deidara, I took the IQ test and ended up here." Haku fondled with some strands of his dark hair, looking as angelic as he possibly could. "Little did I know that I was going to be placed here with _you_. I am pleased that Hinata and Naruto are here though."

"Bullshit. You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"I am not at liberty to say. Sorry." Haku shot Deidara an innocent smile. During their conversation, I took notice that a lot of the boys were blushing at Haku's alluring beauty. Regardless that he was male, the boys were entranced by his face. The girls in the room were rolling their eyes at him and whispering things that were obviously about him to their friends. This didn't bother the gypsy though. He seemed to be expecting this.

"Um, can you introduce yourself to the class and tell us something about yourself, please?" Iruka asked. He was entranced by Haku's face, too, and it was proving difficult for him to hide his attraction. Gross.

Haku bowed to the class and looked at everyone with a friendly smile. "My name is Haku Yuki. I came from Kirigakure five years ago and lived on the outskirts of Konohagakure until recently. I do not know much about public school because I have been home schooled most of my life, so please take care of me."

Iruka fished out the seating chart from his desk and told Haku to sit behind Kiba Inuzuka. I couldn't help but notice that Kiba's face turned beet red when the gypsy sat down and said hello. Unfortunately Haku was sitting five rows away from me at the back of the room so I couldn't ask him how he got placed in a junior leveled class, and I also couldn't ask him about Neji. I had not seen him yet and I worry whether he'll be able to make any friends.

From beside me, Sakura whispered to me "You know the new kid?"

I nodded. "I met him through Sasuke. He's really nice and very intelligent."

Ino leaned in from behind me. "He looks like a girl, a pretty girl. It's only a matter of time before all of these hungry boys snatch him up."

"Haku isn't interested in any of them," I said plainly.

"Yeah? They're all interested in him, especially Kiba." Ino pointed to the other side of the room where the gypsy and Kiba sat.

The two boys were making small talk while all of the other boys were gawking at them. To me, it looked like Kiba was explaining the rules or curriculum to him but then it quickly turned into flirting. Of course, Haku wasn't the one who initiated it, Kiba was. Haku wasn't flirting back with him, he was just listening and responding with simple questions and statements. I thought that he was oblivious to Kiba's attraction until Haku flirted back. Kiba's face turned beet red again and he faced the front of the room to retreat, but Haku didn't let him escape just yet. He continued to flirt until Kiba's face turned so red that it looked like it was about to burst. This made me believe that Haku is a sadist just like a familiar blonde vampire that we all know and, sadly, love.

"Haku doesn't want Kiba, though," I said.

"I can tell. He's just teasing him," Ino said, still watching the two from a distance. "He's a boy after my own heart."

"He isn't anything like you, Ino," Sakura said. "He's just trying to get Kiba to leave him alone."

"It'd be nice if he was. We need a man-whore, too."

"We do not!"

Iruka placed textbooks on each of our desks, putting our conversation at an end. He stared directly at the three of us and asked "You girls didn't hear a word I said up there, did you?" We stared guiltily at our sensei as a response. All he did was sigh and say "I guess there's no point in telling you that you can talk now."

When sensei walked away, I said "I'm going to talk to Haku."

"Okay," Sakura said. "I guess we'll see you at lunch since the period is almost over."

I got up and was making my way over to Haku when Deidara rushed up to me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me along with him to the expecting gypsy. I stood near Haku while Deidara made himself comfortable on top of Haku's desk. My supernatural friends exchanged similar smirks when Haku lifted his head up from his textbook.

"Can I help you?" Haku asked Deidara.

"In fact, you can. I'm wondering why the hell you're in this class. Are you here to torment me or something?"

"Please," the gypsy said, closing his textbook. "Not everything is about you. But I suppose I can add that to my list of extracurricular activities if that satisfies you." He glanced behind me and then put all of his attention on Deidara. "I came to keep an eye on you, Hinata, Naruto, and Neji. All of your teachers are _slayers_, excluding Iruka Umino, of course."

"I was suspecting that," Naruto said, coming up from behind me. "What's the reason for it?"

"I was told that they want to keep an eye on you all at all times. I was not told why, but I suspect that they want an excuse to kill you if they catch you doing something wrong. So I want you all to stay close to each other and do not leave the other alone."

Deidara sighed. "I guess that means I can't sleep in study hall anymore."

I gave him a small smile before asking Haku "Have you seen Neji yet?"

"Yes. My last two classes were with him. He is adjusting well with his schedule, and he has caught up with his childhood friends, Rock Lee and Tenten. It was quite an emotional reunion when they recognized him. They talked all period long so I did not get the opportunity to talk to him."

"Good. I was worried about him making friends," I said. "What about his teachers?"

"Unfortunately, they are _slayers_, too. But his teachers seem to like him more than you three. They believe that there is a chance of him joining their side. Your cousin is a valuable asset so Tsunade does not want him dead."

Not only will I have to keep my guard up at all times, I also have to look out for Neji. This is getting even more complicated. In so many ways, I am starting to regret ever leaving Sunagakure. Things would have definitely been easier over there with Gaara than here.

Haku was going to say more but the bell rang, telling us to go to lunch. He sat with my friends and me since Deidara's and Naruto's table was not optional. The reason: Kiba sat with them and still had his eyes on the young gypsy, as well as a few others at the table. So Haku sat next to me to prevent having to meet their eyes.

"You are so adorable!" Ino blurted at Haku as soon as she got to our table.

"Adorable?" He repeated it as if he had never heard the word before.

"Yeah. You're cute and innocent-looking so if anyone's picking on you, tell me and I'll kick their ass for you."

"O-Okay?"

When Ino began complaining to Sakura about the boys staring at Haku and the girls who were talking about him, the gypsy fixed my friends with his soul-seeing gaze. He only did this for a few seconds until he was satisfied enough to eat.

I let the gypsy swallow the salad that he forked up before asking "So how's your day going so far, Haku?"

"Better than I expected. Since I am an underclassman in all of my classes, the students and teachers give me benefits."

"Are they all boys?" I asked suspiciously.

He thought for a moment. "Yes. Why?"

"Aw!" Ino cooed. "I have to educate him just as I did Hinata."

"No you don't," Sakura said to Ino. "We want him to stay innocent."

"Says who? My education will save his life. In this school, he's a walking piece of meat." Ino's eyes widened when she caught something within her view behind me. She leaned in closer to everyone and said "Dog boy is coming over here."

All of us simultaneously began to eat our meal and not a moment later Kiba Inuzuka sat in the empty seat next to Haku after greeting all of us. They smiled at each other but I could sense how much effort Haku didn't put into his smile. He didn't want Kiba near him. And since Haku is almost all knowing, I was curious as to why Haku didn't want anything to do with Kiba. Does it have something to do with Kiba's past or his thoughts?

"Are you here to flirt again?" Haku asked.

"Only if you want to," he replied in a flirtatious tone.

"I'll pass. What do you need?"

"I know it's kind of sudden, and we don't really know each other, but do you want to hang out after school or something?"

"I'm sorry. You are not my type."

Kiba raised one of his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand. Deidara said that you like boys."

In my periphery, I saw my gypsy friend's body twitch in annoyance. Haku told everyone that he wanted to keep his sexual orientation a secret, but Deidara didn't hold him to it. No doubt Haku is going to get him back later.

"Is that so?" Haku asked. His voice sounded kind but I sensed the danger in it right away, which made me shudder.

"Yeah," Kiba shrugged, oblivious to the gypsy's change in mood. "So do you want to?"

My friend went silent as he looked over Kiba. When he finally spoke up, he said "Sorry, I have plans. Maybe next time?"

I expected Kiba to be disappointed, but he smiled and said "I'll hold you to that, you know."

As soon as Kiba walked away, Haku said to himself more than anyone "I believe that high school has just become extremely difficult for me due to undesirable attention."

"Untrue," Ino said. "But now you can get that lovesick puppy to do whatever you ask."

The gypsy furrowed his eyebrows at Ino's comment. He did not respond to her and began to finish his lunch. Me and my friends exchanged glances and ate our food, too.

I began to wonder if the attention was becoming overwhelming for Haku. Everywhere he goes, there are eyes on him. I found Haku beautiful when I first met him, too, but this kind of adoration is ridiculous, annoying, and creepy. The boys at this school behave like they have never seen a pretty girl before (even though Haku is most definitely _not_ a girl). Any girl (or boy, in this case) would be uncomfortable in this situation, but Haku seems to be even more uncomfortable than most. It could be because he has the ability to know someone more than themselves in one glance. And if so, there must be something that Haku _really_ does not like about Kiba.

After lunch, I had to go to Driver's Ed. I went off with Sakura and Ino while Haku went to join Neji in their senior leveled math class. It relieved me that Haku was going to reunite with my cousin because Neji will do an even better job looking out for our gypsy than me. With my cousin around, no one will approach him let alone glance at him.

Sakura, Ino, and I got to Driver's Ed and, obviously, sat near each other. The room filled up quickly and not too long after the students filled the seats, the teacher waltzed in to greet us with a bright smile. She told us that her name was Shizune. She and Kakashi took turns in the nurse's office in between periods when one had to teach a class.

Shizune sensei came off as a kind, warm person. Had it not been for Haku, I would not have known that she was also a _slayer_. But I think that I would have figured it out even without Haku's knowledge. Shizune proudly announced to the class that she was well acquainted with Tsunade and they knew each other through her uncle, Dan Kato. The student body was impressed that she knew Tsunade since the principal hardly spoke to anyone, and they wanted to hear more out of curiosity. Shizune didn't say much though because, unlike any other teacher on our first day, she wanted to teach us something.

All period, Shizune had us reading from the textbook and expected us to hand in a full paged report based on what we knew and didn't know about driving. If we didn't finish it then it was homework, which I did not mind, but Ino was grumbling under her breath about how the first day was supposed to be relaxing and homework was going to screw up her night.

Our sensei lifted her head in our direction a few times while Ino was complaining. Ino was speaking low enough for only Sakura and me to hear, but, with Shizune's _slayer_ ears, she was able to hear every word as if she were next to us. A chill ran up my spine when she glanced at me several times during her eavesdropping. Every time she looked at me, the kindness faded from her eyes and I could see how she really saw me. She hated me, and I felt as though she wanted me to know that she could her us, that she wanted me to know what she was capable of. Oddly enough, I was not intimidated like she wanted me to be. I don't know where the sudden confidence came from, but I shot the same expression back and she actually faltered, taking her hateful eyes off of me. I guess in order for me to make it through this _slayer_ thing I need to fight back. It's a plan, but it'll be difficult for my next class.

I reunited with Deidara and Naruto for Social Studies, Kakashi sensei's class. He greeted the students at the door with kind eyes and worksheets ready to be handed out to each kid entering the room. What caught me off guard was that sensei smiled at me and my friends despite knowing who we were. He even gave us the privilege of sitting near each other when he announced our assigned seats. I would like to say that he was planning something but I had no proof. I even got the sense that he was happy to see us when he saw us.

My friends and I did not get the chance to talk once seated. Kakashi sensei spoke immediately when all the students found their new seats. He said that a new student will be joining us. I had a feeling as to who the student was going to be, and when Kakashi brought him into the room, I was right (for once).

Haku introduced himself to the math class, and to no surprise at all, he got the same stares from the kids like in Literature. But, unlike Iruka sensei, Kakashi sensei wasn't staring at Haku as if he was some god (or goddess) sent from heaven. He wasn't even fazed by his otherworldly beauty. He treated him just like any other sensible person would and told him where to sit. Amazingly, Haku's seat was right in front of mine and next to Deidara. My friend sat in front of me with a large smile on his stunning face before he turned the smile into a cocky smirk just for Deidara. I instantly knew that he had something planned for him after telling Kiba, and more than likely others, that he was homosexual.

"On the worksheets that I passed out to you as you all came in is a questionnaire," Kakashi sensei told everyone, who were barely paying attention due the grogginess that they were feeling because it was near the end of the day. "There are no right or wrong answers on this. This is only going to tell me about yourselves so that I get to know you all a bit more." Sensei glanced at the clock and added "You have approximately twenty minutes before the period ends. Get it done and hand it in before then."

I looked over the questionnaire and was baffled that it was legit. I expected sensei to create a sheet with subliminal meaning, but as I looked it over and over and over again, I found nothing suspicious. Is this actually a real attempt to get to know us better? If so, should I answer all of the questions on the sheet and put myself at risk for him to find a weakness? After all, even though I did not find any subliminal meaning or feel suspicious about this, it doesn't mean that there isn't something going on? What if-

"Everyone," Haku said. "You are overthinking this. Relax. There is nothing wrong with this questionnaire."

Naruto, Deidara, and I exchanged looks. It was weird how we were all feeling the same way and thinking the same things.

"I really hate when you do that psychic crap," Deidara told Haku.

"And I really despise that you deny that you hate what I can do, Deidara," Haku replied.

The blonde vampire opened his mouth to make another comment but Naruto took his opportunity to speak as soon as Deidara drew a breath. "Are you sure about that, Haku? Kakashi is a _slayer_, too after all."

"But he is not an enemy." All of us gave him confused stares and waited for him to continue. "He and Zabuza are close friends. I met him once before and he is not a bad man. Kakashi is not like the other _slayers_."

"Are you sure about that?" Naruto asked, still sounding skeptical.

"The fact that a water nymph and a _slayer_ are friends alone should be enough proof, especially in Zabuza's case. Zabuza's clan was killed by vampires and he wanted nothing to do with anything remotely close to undead. However, knowing that _slayers_ are part vampire, Zabuza and Kakashi befriended almost immediately after meeting."

I glanced at Kakashi from across the room. From behind his newspaper and coffee mug, he met my eyes and nodded at me. It may be true that Kakashi is friends with a water nymph, but I think that Deidara was the one who brought the change in him. When Anko, the witch that wanted to destroy all humanity, stabbed me almost to death, Deidara took me to Kakashi in fear of a hospital asking too many questions. Sensei saw the panic on Deidara's face when he brought me to the infirmary and it sparked a change in him. Growing up, Kakashi was taught that vampires are evil and aren't capable of love, but after what he saw and listened to what Deidara told him, Kakashi began questioning the laws fed to him as a young boy. Looking into my sensei's eyes, I can see that he is on our side now.

Still staring at Kakashi, I told Haku, "I believe you. I think we can trust him."

Haku smiled. "You're so understanding, Hinata." The gypsy stared at Deidara, looking him over as he said "Butterflies are swarming in your stomach, old one. I guess that you haven't gotten over her after all."

I felt myself blushing as my head snapped in the direction of Deidara. His face turned red, too, but it was redder than mine. Butterflies began to swarm in my stomach, and I'm sure he heard my heart beating, but he chose to ignore it, just like I expected him to. He wouldn't even look at me.

Covering up his embarrassment, Deidara said "Don't make me eat you. I never had gypsy before."

"I doubt that you could." He gave Deidara a mischievous smile that I found too adorable to be called conniving or evil. "I'm too powerful for you and not only that, you aren't even thinking about eating me. Instead, thoughts about Hinata are running through your mind."

The blonde vampire glared at Haku. His lips twitched upward as he opened his mouth to spit out a nasty comment, but Kakashi interrupted.

"You four need to get to work," Kakashi called from the front of the room. "You have fifteen minutes left."

We dropped our conversation and got to writing. My friends and I completed the questionnaire not too long before the bell rang and I left the class feeling much better about Social Studies. The school may be the enemy's den, but there are a few safe places here. I've always felt safe in Iruka sensei's room and Kakashi's class just became another.

Haku left us because he had to return to Neji (which relieved Deidara). My next class was math with Aoi Rokusho. He was a man with green spiky hair that came just above his shoulders and he had purple eyes with long eyelashes. I heard that Aoi had left Konohagakure to live in Amegakure for a while, but, just like Yugao, he came back this year, although, I don't know why Aoi suddenly decided to come back here. It's a little suspicious.

Anyway, Aoi sensei gave us worksheets as soon as everyone settled down and he taught us a bit of basic algebra. I assumed that he wanted to go easy on us since it was the first day of school, but he kind of messed that up when he told everyone that the worksheet was homework. Deidara instantly cursed under his breath and, as a response, Aoi sensei snapped his head in my friend's direction saying "No cursing in my class."

I was taken aback that he actually revealed his excellent hearing abilities. If he assumed that we didn't know that he was a _slayer_, we do now. If sensei was willing to take a risk like that in front of everyone, then who knows what else he'd do. Something tells me that he won't be afraid to hunt one of us down in public if he had to (or wanted to).

Aoi Rokusho watched me and my friends until we left the room after the bell rang. On the way out, Deidara matched his hateful glare until we were out of his view. Sure, being watched the entire period was a bit nerve wracking, but all feelings of nervousness were replaced with fear and anxiety when I headed to my last class alone, gym.

I was separated from everyone when I parted ways with Deidara and Naruto. Of course, Deidara suggested cutting with him to avoid Guy sensei and his sadistic ways of getting in shape by using the power of youth. I had to decline on his offer even though I _really_ wanted to cut for the first time in my life. Deidara and Naruto were worried about me because they weren't going to be with me. And I couldn't help but to worry about myself as I took off my school uniform in the girls' locker room and put on my gym clothes. If Guy sensei wasn't going to kill me then the horrid exercises sure will. Either way I was going to die before, during, or after.

Groaning, I exited the locker room to enter the gymnasium. I lined up next to a few girls, who had left the locker room a couple of minutes prior to when I left, and waited for Guy sensei to make his appearance. While standing, I couldn't help but to fidget nervously with my fingers. I let my eyes wander around the gymnasium and noticed that boys were also with us too. This was something new. Last year boys and girls were separated because too many of them were hooking up in the bathroom (Ino was one of those people). Now everyone has been merged together as one large class. Just great.

I waited only a few minutes for sensei to appear before I got impatient and began to wander around the gym. No one paid much attention to me (too busy talking to their friends) so I meandered over to the boys' side of the gym. I noticed right away that it was quieter over here than on the girls' side and I soon found out why. All eyes were looking in one direction, so I went in that direction to find Haku sitting against the wall, texting on his phone.

I sighed heavily, relieved that there was someone here that I could talk to, and I walked over to him. I reached him and, without looking up, Haku said "You found me quick just like I anticipated, Hinata."

Smiling, I sat beside him. "Who are you texting?"

"Zabuza," he sighed. "He worries about me going to public school and has been texting me consistently."

"Well, he knows that you're okay now, so you can stop messaging him now if you want. You can't have your phone out in school anyway. He's going to get you in trouble and Guy sensei doesn't have a problem with making up excuses to keep you after school to do insane laps around the gym."

Haku shuddered. "You're right. I should stop." As he put his iPhone away in his gym shorts, he said "About time you joined us, Neji. You took longer than a girl in there."

I looked towards the boys' locker room to see Neji rushing up to us, his long hair bouncing with each step. "Sorry I took so long. I didn't want to leave you out here by yourself with everyone." My cousin sat beside me, smiling. "Haku said that you would be here, too."

"Really? He didn't say anything to me." I shot my gypsy friend a glare that faltered immediately when my eyes landed on his face. He was so cute and innocent-looking that it was impossible to be mad at him (even though I wasn't). "What's wrong?"

"What Guy has in mind could be detrimental to our health."

"What does he have in mind?" I asked.

"You'll see. Neji will have no problem with it since he is a _slayer_, but you and I will have some difficulty."

"Well, if it's too much, you can sit out, right?" Neji said.

"No," I said. "Guy always forces the kids to go until the end, if not, more."

Just then, Guy sensei appeared out of nowhere at the center of the gymnasium. It took me a while to get past his bowl cut hairstyle and his incredibly bushy eyebrows to meet his dark eyes. He was happy to be here, happy to see everyone, and happy to get everyone in shape by encouraging us with the raw power of youth. It was when he made his sudden appearance that I didn't want to get up to join the rest of the students huddling around our enthusiastic sensei.

"Come on," Neji told me and Haku as he stood up from the floor.

Reluctantly, me and Haku followed Neji to join everyone else. Meanwhile, Guy sensei was telling us that we were going to do some light exercises by starting off with seven laps around the gym. Next, we were going to do some weight lifting and we had to complete over twenty-five reps on each type of machine before going onto the final step, wall sits for the remainder of the period. If the laps don't kill me then the weight lifting will. I don't think I'll make it to the wall sits.

Neji was the first one to finish the laps, without breaking a sweat, which impressed sensei. I did… okay. I got through four laps without slowing down or collapsing which was a great improvement from last year. Haku didn't do so well. He got through two laps and slowed down considerably. I cut my pace back to meet him and give him support when I noticed how pale he was looking. It's obvious once you meet a gypsy that they aren't very deft in physical activity, but I didn't expect them to be _this_ bad at it. Haku had no color in his skin and was breathing heavily as if he was having an asthma attack.

I put my hand on his back and asked "Do you need to sit down?"

Unable to speak, he nodded instead.

I was going to find Guy, but he noticed that we had stopped running and made his way over to us. He was going to yell at us to keep moving but Haku's poor appearance stopped him in his tracks.

"What is going on here?" Guy sensei asked.

"My friend is having…" I stumbled on my words for only a second to make up an excuse for Haku, "asthma trouble."

"This isn't good. Maybe you should go to the nurse."

I looked at the gypsy and he shook his head at Guy sensei's suggestion.

I made up another excuse. "He doesn't have an inhaler, so there isn't anything that the nurse can do for him. Besides, I think that my friend would like to sit here to watch all of the youthful students inspire him to do better next time."

I saw a glint of happiness in his eyes at the word "youth." Hopefully this will get him to excuse Haku.

Guy sensei straightened his body as he crossed his arms. "Alright. He can sit out, but I want seven laps next time I see you. Are we clear?"

Sensei tried to sound serious, but the elation he was feeling for believing the lie I cooked up for Haku wanting to watch the class workout was clouding over his disappointment in him. I didn't worry though. With a face like Haku's, sensei will be submitting to anything that the gypsy complains about.

After Haku sat down, I ran the rest of my laps without complications. I joined Neji in the weight lifting room, but not too long after I found a machine to use, my cousin left the room to do his wall sits. Before he left, he told me that he was going to sit near Haku so that he was certain that he was fine. This didn't bother me at all, I just hated that I was going to be alone again. Sure, Guy sensei seems harmless, but the only one who could confirm whether he was harmless or not was Haku. I was surrounded by other kids, but I still felt alone without my friends.

With much difficulty, and perspiration, I finished the weights and began the wall sits. To my luck, I only had to sit for two minutes before sensei called us to go back into the locker rooms to shower and go home. But right before I entered the locker room, I saw Guy sensei approach Haku. I wasn't worried because the gypsy can hold his own, especially since he knows how _slayers_ operate better than anyone in the world, and went to the showers.

I reentered the gymnasium to find Guy, Neji, and Haku (who was still in his gym attire) in the middle of the floor. As soon as Neji saw me, he pulled me aside to fill me in. My jaw dropped at what he told me.

"Guy sensei is going to make Haku finish the exercise," my cousin said. I opened my mouth to protest but his next words stopped me. Again. "Because of his 'asthma', he can take as long as he likes and he doesn't have to do twenty-five reps on all of the machines or wall sits."

"Well, that's good. I guess I'll stay here until he finishes," I said.

"That's what I was planning."

So we sat in a spot where we wouldn't be in the way. But watching our gypsy was still painful even though he could go at his own pace. We ended up staying at the school longer than I would have wanted, and we were finally able to leave at sunset. Despite how poorly Haku did, Guy was still impressed by his determination, which relieved me, and I was beginning to believe that Guy was also a good guy.

Neji, Haku, and I exited the school and chose to take a shortcut to the church to drop off Haku. Sasuke was sure to be worried about him since we were gone for so long, and since none of us bothered to contact him. On the bright side, there were many shortcuts in Konohagakure, so Sasuke would see him soon. The down side, all of the shortcuts were through alleyways and it was getting dark fast.

There aren't many crimes in Konohagakure so I wasn't hesitant at all to walk through an alleyway in the dark because I did it often even before I met Sasuke. And with a strong guy like Neji, no one would even dare to approach us. However, when we were five blocks away from our destination, I felt something wrong. And Neji felt it, too.

My cousin put his arms out in front of us and said "Wait. Something's coming."

At the same time I took a step forward, Neji wrapped his arms around both my and Haku's waist to pull us several feet back away from danger all in under a second. It took me a moment to get my spinning head together from that unexpectedly fast movement. But when I did, my heart shot up to my throat and I froze.

My cousin broke the shock that Haku and I was feeling by saying "Vampires."


	17. Butterflies

Vampires surrounded us in the narrow alleyway. Two stood in front of us and one behind us. Their eyes glowed red as they snarled at us, exposing their sharp fangs. I don't know much about hungry vampires, but I know that when they snarl like that that means they're about to attack. I would have moved out of the way but my body was frozen. Sure, I could process what was going on, but I was going nowhere. Not unless someone moved me. But I have to get up soon. Neji is clearly outnumbered and Haku won't be able to do much from the fatigue he's feeling from gym. We're going to have to run.

"We are not running," Haku whispered to me. "If we run, they will catch us."

I swallowed hard and assessed our situation again. Neji was facing the two vampires in front of us and Haku and I were nearest to the one behind us. Unfortunately, I'm useless, so Haku is going to have to somehow kill the one behind us to assist my cousin with the two in front of him. It's risky, but it's worth a try… At least that's what I thought anyway.

Suddenly, the vampire from behind dashed in and hit Haku with such blinding speed that it looked like nothing but a blur. Haku's body collided with the wall nearest to him and he fell to the ground, lying very still. It was at that moment that my body decided to move as I lurched towards my friend. However, I was not able to reach him because the vampire that hit Haku grabbed me. He held me hard against his body as he brushed my hair away from my neck. I struggled to get free, but it was futile. The vampire proceeded on as if I wasn't doing anything at all.

My heart pounded hard against my chest as the vampire placed his fangs on my flesh. When he pressed his sharp teeth slightly into me, he abruptly dropped me and backed away screaming as he held onto his face. I stared at him from the ground, confused as he crumpled unto himself. What happened? How did that-

And then I saw it. His face was being… eaten by something green. It bubbled on his face as it ate at him until there was nothing left to consume. It then hit me that it was werewolf poison. But where did it come from? Searching for my answer, I whipped my head around to find Neji. He was holding a blowgun in his hands and concentrating on the snarling enemies in front of him. I took that as my cue to go to Haku. If he was going to fight, then I needed to get out of the way.

As soon as I was out of the way, Neji dropped his blowgun to block an attack from one of the vampires. The vampire's movements were so fast that it made me wonder how Neji was able to time his block just right to protect himself. It didn't take me long to get my answer because my cousin's movements were faster than the monster's.

Neji threw the vampire attacking him off by thrusting his palm into the monster's chest. I heard several loud cracking sounds upon impact and instantly knew that Neji had probably broken some of his ribs. The vampire staggered away, clutching where my cousin had struck him so hard that his knuckles were turning white. He was gasping for air, which made me believe that Neji had ruptured a lung, too. But that did not stop my cousin from attacking our enemy.

Neji had pulled out a stake and moved so inhumanly fast that it made me dizzy just watching him. He gained momentum by rushing forward and thrusting the weapon towards the vampire while he was still recovering, but the other vampire caught Neji's wrist as he snarled dangerously at him. In an instant, Neji retracted his hand and roundhouse kicked the vampire. Again, I heard bones cracking, but this time I was able to see what broke.

With eyes glowing the color of blood, the vampire growled, hissed, and fixed his jaw that was put so far out of place that it looked detached. Regardless of his injury, the vampire lunged at my cousin. He swiped at him with his claw-like nails and snarled continuously. My cousin dodged each attack gracefully though, and put little effort into escaping from him. This wasn't difficult for Neji at all. This was hardly a challenge until the vampire that had his lungs ruptured grabbed Neji from behind, making him drop the stake.

The vampire holding him squeezed him so hard that Neji released a strangled gasp for air. It was almost impossible to break free from the grip, especially with other vamp rapidly approaching. And it amazed me when Neji pried an arm from the hold to thrust a palm at the vamp approaching him. When that vampire staggered, Neji grabbed one of the vampire's wrists holding him and flipped him over. As both monsters were recovering, Neji found his stake on the ground and stabbed the one closest to him right in the heart. Immediately after he did that, he yanked the wooden weapon out of his chest and penetrated through the other's heart. The two vamps crumpled unto themselves just like the first did after releasing a low growl.

Breathing heavily, Neji wiped the sweat from his forehead and came over to me and the gypsy. Simultaneously, we asked each other "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"Me too," my cousin said.

Just then, Haku sat up from the ground, wiping debris from his face. I expected to see an injury or something on him, but his face was flawless as well as the other parts of his body that hit the wall.

Neji asked Haku "Are you okay, too?"

"Yes." He looked Neji over curiously and fixed him with a knowing gaze soon after studying him. "You're injured."

My cousin clutched his right shoulder. "I'll be fine. But we should get out of here before more come. Let's go."

We took Haku to the church after Haku dissolved the bodies with some kind of Romanian spell and, as expected, Sasuke was worried and a little angry. I think he would have chastised us for not contacting him, but all of that diminished when we told him that we were ambushed by vampires. And, just like a parent, Sasuke checked Haku and asked him if he was okay.

"I need to treat Neji before you go," Haku said. "It might not look like much, but it will cause some trouble later."

The gypsy patted the cushion next to him on the loveseat with a welcoming smile. Groaning, Neji met him at the sofa and reluctantly sat down. He removed his shirt, exposing his toned body and the large bruise that was already starting to form from his right shoulder to his chest. He flinched when Haku rested his hands on him and cursed under his breath. The gypsy retracted his hands at Neji's reaction and he actually looked surprised that he was in that much pain.

But what shocked me more than Haku not being able to sense the pain Neji was in was the question that he asked him. "How much does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," Neji responded through gritted teeth.

Haku hesitated to place his hands on him again, but Neji gently took the concerned gypsy's hands and put them on his wound. This also surprised Haku and he stared up my cousin to make sure that this was okay. My cousin assured him with a smile to go on, so Haku did.

After drawing a deep, heavy breath, Haku relaxed his hands on Neji's injury. He closed his eyes and, after a moment, began to chant something in Romanian. As he chanted, white light consumed his hands and ran up his arms. It ran up his arms, to his head, down his torso, and then his legs. When his body was surrounded by white light, his hair lifted as if it was riding on wind and his eyes opened. Whenever Haku casts a spell or uses his crystal ball, his eyes turn white and a vicious wind storms through to shield him from anyone on the outside of his circle. This time, the wind was a gentle breeze that smelled of herbs, and his eyes were glowing so bright that it hurt to look at them. His entire body was glowing bright too, but I could bear to stare at him. If the boys at school thought that Haku was the most beautiful person that they've ever seen, then they should see him now. I wasn't able to describe how beautiful he looked because it was so unreal. And the peace on his face made him look so captivating that he could compete with a god.

The light faded and Haku slowly removed his hands from the wound that seemed to disappear when I was staring at Haku, but the gypsy's eyes were still glowing white and his hair was still floating on air. Then he looked over Neji and it was the strangest thing I think that I would ever witness. Usually when the gypsy looks over someone it's because he's learning who you are or learning about your past. Right now he appears to be looking _through_ Neji. He wasn't staring at him at all and I didn't have a clue as to what he was doing.

"Okay, Neji," Haku said. I jumped when I heard countless voices whisper the same words after Haku spoke. "Everything is repaired." The light and the wind stopped and the voices did as well when Haku said "Just take care of that shoulder. Even though I healed it, it does not mean that you can swing it around however you please."

"Thanks, Haku," Neji said, putting his shirt back on. "I would have preferred to heal on my own though. I really hate it when you heal me."

The young gypsy furrowed his perfect eyebrows. "I assumed so. For some strange reason, I cannot figure out why you dislike it so much. Does it cause you even more pain?"

"No," Neji said as he stood up.

"Then what is the problem?" Haku asked, standing up, too. "The sensation is supposed to be calming during the procedure, but your heart always races…" The gypsy's troubled expression turned bright when he figured what it could be. "Perhaps it's a counteraction from the vampire part of you. Maybe the impurity from the vampire tries to push away my magic… I need to look further into this."

Neji ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Yes, Haku, that's what it is. Don't look into it and get some rest. Today must have been exhausting for you."

No one seemed to notice, but Neji just lied. When he runs his fingers through his hair, it means that he's about to lie. But, unlike when we were kids, this lie was so good that it took me a moment to determine whether it truly was false. Sasuke wasn't even suspicious. He should have been able to hear his heartbeat pick up pace when he told the lie, but he continued to stand beside me watching Neji and Haku converse. Well, Neji's adolescent years were all lies, why not be a master liar yourself?

"I suppose I should take a nap," Haku said after finally submitting to Neji's request. "But I have homework to do from-"

"I'll do it," my cousin said. "Just relax."

The young gypsy stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "Okay." He looked at everyone as he walked towards the staircase. "Good night."

"Good night," we all said back.

As Neji fished through the gypsy's school bag, Sasuke pulled me aside and said "Haku texted me during school and told me about Kiba. Can you keep an eye on him? I don't want anything bad happening."

"To Haku?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Don't worry. Neji and I will take care of him."

My cousin pulled out the gypsy's homework and put it in his own bag. "We should leave now so that I can get this done."

"Okay," I said. "Bye, Sasuke."

Neji had already stepped outside by the time Sasuke said "You should stop by sometime. I know we've broken up but we're still friends and I miss seeing you around."

I gave him a gentle smile and said "Sure. I'll stop by soon, okay?"

I'm not sure if Sasuke sensed it or not, but I felt sad and I missed him, too. We didn't break up all that long ago and my feelings for him are still there. I know for a fact that he doesn't feel the same way though. I would have visited him more often had the fear of rekindling an old flame not lingered through my mind every time I thought about dropping by. Sure, Haku is here to break any potential "moments" that Sasuke and I might share, but I feel as though it'll only take a small spark to reignite what we once had, given that Sasuke is willing to put Kana behind him once and for all, which I doubt would happen any time soon. Who am I kidding? The reason why I didn't go visit is because I still have feelings for Sasuke, and it hurts to be around him.

I caught up to my cousin and we walked back to our apartment together. Outside, I took notice to a car that has never been on this block before. It looked familiar, but I couldn't have possibly seen it around Konohagakure. We don't sell cars like that here. Getting closer to it, I realized where I had seen it and I wanted to smack myself for not recognizing it. Hell, I even sat in it before.

"Hey," Neji said with a large grin on his face, "my Ferrari finally arrived."

I gave him a mischievous smile. "Now I need to get my driver's license."

"Then you need to buy your own car."

He disappeared into the apartment building, leaving me pouting as I followed him. When I reached our door, I noticed a small package sitting in front of it. Before I picked it up, I unlocked the door and made a mental note to get the key copied for Neji. On the package sat a letter issued out to me from… Gaara. Eagerly, I entered our apartment ready to tear into the wrapping paper when I noticed that it said "Fragile" on it. So I carefully unwrapped it to find a leather box. In it was a necklace made of glass. The necklace had been shaped into the form of a dove, and the glass was translucent so when the light hit it, the glass sparkled. But what caught my eye about the sparkling glass was that it shimmered very similarly to sand. I laughed to myself when I figured that Gaara had made it with his powers.

I picked up the letter and opened it up. It only had five words but they made my heart stop when I read "I'm coming to see you." It was very sweet of him to do this for me, so I decided to call him so that I can thank him. I fished my phone out of my bag.

"Gift from your boyfriend?" Neji asked. He was sitting on the floor with both his and Haku's homework spread out on the coffee table. I had no desk or kitchen table so the coffee table was the closest thing to one.

"Yeah," I responded. "I'm going to call him."

"Wait," my cousin called out to me before I could leave the room. "Do you really like the Kazekage? You don't seem to adore him as much as he does you."

"He's a great guy. Of course I like him." Even though it is true that I like Gaara, saying those words felt like lies, and it's because I only see him as a friend. But, even though I only see him as a friend, I can feel that it's slowly becoming more than that. "Why do you ask?"

"You and Sasuke had a pretty strong relationship and you moved on pretty fast after you broke up with him from what I heard. You're not just using the Kazekage as a replacement are you?"

"I would never do that. You've got it all wrong, Neji."

My cousin studied me for a moment to see if I was telling the truth. I don't believe that he thought that I was lying to him per se, but he was checking to see if I was lying to myself. After all, it is said that the greatest liars are the ones who believe in the lie themselves… Not that I'm saying I'm one of those people. While it is true that I still have feelings for Sasuke, I am by no means using Gaara as Sasuke's replacement. It's wrong, but the truth is that I decided to go out with Gaara to kill my confusing feelings for my blonde, sadistic friend.

After he finished his analysis, he said "Okay. I'm sorry for accusing you. You'd never do something like that."

I smiled at him to mask my guilt. "I won't be too long. I'll be back soon."

I went to the roof so that Neji could concentrate on the work. The sun had gone down considerably within the past few minutes, and all I could see was the thin red-orange line of the sun in the darkening sky.

I found a bench near the door that led out here and sat down as I dialed his number. He answered on the second ring and sounded half asleep. I wanted to smack myself because I had forgotten all about the time zones.

"_Hinata?"_ he said in a sleepy voice. _"I was hoping that you would call."_

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were sleeping. Should I call back later?"

"_No, no. It's fine. I told you that you can call me any time."_ I heard shuffling in the background and assumed that he had sat up in bed. _"Is everything okay? Did the package arrive at your house yet?"_

"Yeah, I just got your gift and I love it. It's really beautiful. Did you make it?"

"_Yes. I'm glad that you like it."_ He paused. _"Did you get the letter?"_

"Yes, and I can't wait to see you. When are you getting here?"

"_I'm hoping in a few days or sooner. I have been working overtime to get time to go to Konohagakure. I really miss you."_

"I miss you, too. And I would have called you before but my cousin is living with me now. I wanted to catch up with him before doing anything else."

"_I heard about that. I had also heard that he had lost his memory and recovered it not too long after you got back home."_

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How did you know that?"

He chuckled. _"Ino has a big mouth. She texted me a day after you landed."_

"She never told me." I couldn't help but to smile at Ino's concern for my love life. I wish that she would put effort into her own.

"_Well, I guess her mouth isn't as big as I thought."_ I heard papers shuffling in the background now.

"Are you working, Gaara?" I asked.

"_I'm about to."_ Next I heard a door open and close. _"I have to go now, but I will call you as soon as I can. I can't wait to see your beautiful face again."_

That caught me by surprise and my heart skipped a beat. "M-My face? Beautiful?" I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until I spoke the words.

"_Yes," _he said with a chuckle. _"Your face is very beautiful."_

"T-Thanks." I wish that I could have said more but nothing else came to mind.

I could tell that he was smiling by the sound of his voice. _"My pleasure, Hinata. I'll see you when I get there."_

"O-Okay. Bye."

I hung up the phone and looked out towards the sky again to calm my rapidly beating heart. The sun completely retreated now and the moon was slowly taking its place. I tried to get my mind off of the phone conversation, but my mind kept coming back to it. I just couldn't fathom how a simple compliment could make me so uncertain about how I feel about Gaara. One minute I say that I like him as a friend and the next, my heart is skipping beats as if I really do like him. This is really annoying me. If I can't figure out whether I like Gaara as more than a friend or not, then how can I continue on with this relationship? I'm more confused now than I was before and that makes me uncomfortable.

When I got back inside, Neji was clenching and unclenching his jaw as he bore holes in the mass of papers consuming the table.

"I wonder if Haku could have done a better job at doing this than me," he told me as I sat down with my bag on the opposite side of the coffee table.

My cousin had managed to complete all of the work, but he was frustrated because he wasn't sure if it was correct. I would have been more than happy to help but I'm a junior and Neji is a senior in advanced classes. Offering to help would be disastrous… On his part, not mine.

"If it's wrong, Haku will fix it tomorrow. Don't worry about it," I said, pulling out my homework and trying to find a spot to do it on.

"But he was exhausted from all of the issues at school, the vampires, and using such strong magic. I can't be certain that he'll be able to function very well tomorrow."

"He's strong and he heals pretty fast. I saw how quick his wounds healed from when the vampire hit him. He can probably do the same for his exhaustion by sleeping." I pushed some papers aside and put my materials on the table. "And what he did to heal you was pretty cool, wasn't it? I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah," he said, focusing on the work again. "Neither have I. Every time I see it, I always forget how beautiful it is."

Now I was confused. "I thought that you didn't like it when Haku healed you?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and then said with heavy irritation in his voice, "I don't." He stayed silent for a second before saying "I'm going to take a shower."

My cousin left me pondering on what the hell was going on between the two of them. First, Haku can't read Neji and can't even tell when he's lying. Then Neji lies about disliking the healing, which I found _very_ odd. If I found it wonderful to watch it happening, then it should have been fantastic to experience it. After that, Neji tried to avoid talking about the healing when I brought it up. And, lastly, my cousin lied to me about disliking the procedure. Whatever is going on is beyond me. I haven't a clue where to begin my guesses on his strange behavior. All I know is that it started after Haku healed him. Maybe it did counteract like Haku theorized.

I couldn't get the answer on my own and I simply couldn't ask my cousin about it. He'll just avoid me asking again or get mad at me for asking again. The only thing I can do now is ponder on it until I come up with a sound theory.

Well, that was the plan anyway.

In homeroom the next day, Kiba rushed over to my desk while Sakura and Ino were trying to convince me to go to a shoe sale with them. What he said to me made me wonder if Sasuke could also see into the future.

"Hinata," Kiba said, completely out of breath. "Can you do me a favor?"

I hesitated to ask. "W-What kind of favor?"

"Can you get Haku to go on a date with me?"

I just stared at him, searching for what to tell him. I had come up with an excuse as to why Haku wouldn't be able to go out with him when Deidara decided that it would be a good idea to mess it all up.

"Of course he would like to go on a date with you, Kiba," Deidara said in his most friendly tone. "You're all he talks about and he even told me that he thinks you're cute. Right, Hinata?"

Kiba's face lit up so bright that it was difficult for me to tell him the truth: Haku probably thinks that he's creepy and he wants absolutely nothing to do with him (which Deidara is most definitely fully aware of).

Before I could answer, Kiba said "Tell me what he says, okay?"

I shot Deidara a glare, which he shrugged at with a devilish smirk, when Kiba went to his seat. I wanted to yell at him badly but Iruka sensei came in to take attendance. The next time that I bring up this situation again will be with Haku and I have to make sure that Deidara is with me when I do. I have the feeling that Haku will need a punching bag and our blonde friend will be the perfect target.

I figured that lunch was the best time to tell him what happened since Kiba sat right in front of him during Literature. And sadly, during all of my classes what Deidara did was all I thought about. The blonde vampire smiled at me occasionally from reading my mind, but I refused to let him know that I was going to take him directly to the gypsy once the lunch bell rang. The last thing I need is for him to run away. So when the bell rang, I grabbed Deidara firmly by the wrist and rushed to the cafeteria with a confused Naruto following in suit.

"I like that look in your eyes, Hinata," Deidara said in a flirtatious tone that made me blush as I pulled him along. "I can only imagine what's going through that head of yours."

His words made my heart pound but I hid it as best that I could with nonchalance. "I'm not you, Deidara."

"You're right. You're not me, but that look in your eyes makes me wonder where you could possibly be taking me."

I found Haku easily, since everyone was gawking at him, and brought the vampire straight to him. The gypsy had somewhat of an idea what was going on, but there was some confusion in his eyes.

I said all in one breath when I tossed Deidara to him "Deidara got you a date with Kiba and he told Kiba that you think he's cute."

"What?" Haku said. He sounded so angry that I thought his body was going to combust into flames. "What did you do?" the gypsy asked once more. As he said each word, he stepped closer to the vampire.

"I think that's my cue to leave," Naruto said, turning to get in line for food.

"I did you a favor, little boy," Deidara said to the gypsy. "You should be thanking me."

Haku took us both into the empty hallway before speaking again. "I am going to kill you, Deidara."

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad, so again I say: You should be thanking me."

Frustration consumed Haku. "Apparently words alone do not seem to reach you, so again _I_ say," our gypsy lifted Deidara up using the power of his mind and pinned him against a wall, "I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You." He dropped the blonde vampire, letting him fall on his butt. Before going back into the cafeteria, he told Deidara "Don't **ever** do that again."

"Well that was delightful," Deidara said, dusting himself off.

"You deserved it," I told him.

"Oh, come on. You have to admit that he needs to get out more often. All he's been doing since he got here was try to figure out why _slayers_ are killing things other than vampires. He needs a break… even though he doesn't want one."

I could hardly believe that Deidara was concerned about Haku's health. But even though he wanted to help, this wasn't the right way to do it. Intentionally angering someone before "helping them out" isn't really helping at all. He'll have to do something big to make up to Haku after this.

"A date with Kiba of all people though?" I said.

Deidara just shrugged his shoulders. "I saw the opportunity and I grabbed it."

"You could have waited for another opportunity. I'm not comfortable with Kiba going out with Haku."

"He can handle himself, and Kiba's not a bad guy, Princess. Haku just has to give him a chance."

That didn't soothe me. It just made me think back to when Sasuke asked me to keep an eye on him. This date thing only makes my job harder.

We went back into the cafeteria together and were stopped by Haku. He mumbled "I will go on the date, but I will not enjoy it."

"Good," Deidara said.

"But on one condition." The gypsy turned to me. "Bring Gaara and go on a double date with me."

In periphery, I noticed that Deidara rolled his eyes at the sound of Gaara's name, but I didn't say anything. I was too busy with the heat sneaking up on my face at the Kazekage's name and I subconsciously touched the glass necklace resting just below my collarbone. "O-Okay…" I learned by now that it was totally normal for Haku to know almost everything that happens in our lives so I didn't find it strange at all that he knew Gaara was coming to Konohagakure. I was only worried about Neji's words getting to me while on the date and I'd accidentally blurt something inappropriate (but totally true) out loud.

None of us spoke much during school today since Deidara was irritated because he found out that I was going on a date, and Haku was still mad at, well, the world. All of us felt the rage emanating off of him and we chose to stay shut in fear of seeing what he would do to us. Even after school when Neji and I walked him to the church, he hardly said anything, which concerned my cousin. He asked me what was wrong with him when we got home.

"Deidara got Kiba a date with Haku," I explained. "When Gaara gets here, we're going too so that it'll be a double date."

"Seriously? Does he like this boy?" I thought I heard a hint of jealousy in his voice but I wasn't sure. There was no reason for him to be jealous, right?

"No. That's why he's mad."

"Oh." There was relief in his voice now.

I wanted to ask why he was so relieved when my phone vibrated. I received a text message from Haku saying "Get ready." I became even more confused than I was earlier until I heard a knock at my front door. Putting my phone away, I went to the door and answered it only to be met by the Kazekage. Now that I think about it, when we spoke on the phone yesterday those sounds in the background must have been him on the plane.

I gave him a tight hug and drowned myself in his scent. Axe.

"You lied to me," I said. For some strange reason, I was unable to hide my elation in seeing him. I actually wanted to see him.

"No I didn't. I said that I would be here in a few days or sooner." He put emphasis on the word sooner.

He kissed me and I ignored the butterflies forming in my stomach.

"So you're Hinata's boyfriend," Neji said, meeting us at the door.

The Kazekage released me so they could shake hands.

"Yes. And you are her cousin?"

Neji nodded and stepped aside so that Gaara could come in. I closed the door behind him and asked "Do you feel like going out, Gaara?"

"Do you mean as in a date?"

"Yeah. A friend of mine wants to go on a double date."

He smiled. "I'll do whatever you want to do."

Grinning, I said "Okay. Let me go get ready." I quickly grabbed my clothes from the dresser and headed into the bathroom so my cousin and boyfriend could get acquainted with one another.

It didn't take me long to throw on jeans and a blouse, and I didn't have time to shower before going out so luckily I took one this morning. Before we left, Neji told us to have fun but I couldn't help but notice that he wasn't very happy about it. Could it be because of Haku? If it is, why is he so upset about it? I'll be there to watch him the entire night if he's worried.

Gaara and I picked up the gypsy first, telling Sasuke that we'd bring him back right after the date, and then met Kiba at Yakiniku Q, the best barbeque place in the city. I've been here a few times in the past and got easily addicted to the food. I was coming here every day for two months straight and spent unnecessary amounts of money, which should have been used to pay for my rent, but I didn't care at the time. This is my first time back here in three years and I'm still embarrassed that the owner knows my name. On the bright side, he gave us a discount.

We found our seats on our own. Gaara sat next to me and Kiba and Haku, reluctantly, sat beside each other. We ordered our drinks and the staff remembered what drink I preferred, which further embarrassed me. I asked for a Pepsi and Gaara ordered the same thing. Kiba asked for a Mountain Dew (yuck), and my friend gypsy just wanted water.

"I was surprised that your date was the Kazekage, Hinata," Kiba told me once the waitress left. "How did you even meet?"

"Um, well, Sakura, Ino, and I snuck into Gaara's hotel room when he visited our country for the first time."

He stared at me like I was crazy. "That's just creepy."

"I disagree," Gaara said with the sweetest smile on his face as he looked at me. He laced his fingers through mine on top of the table for the world to see. "No one has ever gotten past my security, so I knew right away that Hinata was special."

I returned the smile and squeezed his hand in turn. He was such a sweet guy and his smiles were genuine, and I think for the first time, I was actually starting to feel the same way about him. I mean, what's not to like? He's a great guy.

Kiba was looking at both of us like we were crazy now. "Yeah, you two are meant for each other."

"I think so, too," Gaara said, still looking at me. The way that he stared at me made me blush and I shied away by looking elsewhere.

"Such an honest man," Haku said. "It is very hard to find one these days."

"I'm an honest man," Kiba said.

"How would I know that without truly knowing you yet?" the gypsy asked, giving him a knowing gaze. "For all I know, you could be a liar."

"I promise you that I am not."

Instead of responding, the gypsy put his attention elsewhere by staring out of the window. He so did not want to be here.

Gaara leaned in to my ear to whisper "Is he a gypsy?"

I simply nodded.

"I've always wanted to meet one."

The waitress returned to our table with our drinks and took our food order. I couldn't help that I noticed Haku was the only one that ordered from the vegetarian section. I should have realized sooner that he didn't eat meat because all he eats at school are salads.

"You should have said that you were a vegetarian, Haku," I said. "We could have went somewhere else."

"It's fine. I do not mind." He smiled kindly to assure me.

"Hey, Haku," Kiba said, making the gypsy look at him. "Do you want to go to a party after this? The entire football team is going to be there and the quarterback-"

"No thanks. I don't like parties."

"It'll be fun," he pushed.

Haku looked at me for help. He was desperate to get out of this one.

"Kiba," I said. "I promised Haku's father that I'd bring him back home after this. Going to a party doesn't sound like a good idea."

Dog boy sucked in air and turned to Gaara. "Don't you want to experience how Konoha parties? Both of you can come, too."

Gaara shifted uncomfortably next to me. "I'll do whatever Hinata wants to do. Something tells me that this party doesn't sound like a good idea anyway."

Haku stared at Gaara. "You want to go?" Without giving the Kazekage a chance to respond, Haku told Kiba "Fine. We'll go, but not for long."

"Yes! Thank you! It'll be fun, I promise."

I wasn't sure but I could have sworn that Haku whispered "liar" under his breath as he turned back to the window.

Is this why Haku wanted to avoid Kiba? It has only been about ten minutes into the date and he's already confident enough to push until he gets what he wants. If this behavior continues then this is going to be a problem. Instead of worrying about me saying something that I shouldn't, I found myself worrying about this party and Haku's safety.

The waitress brought our meals to us, we ate, and Kiba and Gaara paid the bill. Kiba led the way to the party, that just so happened to be near the Yakiniku Q, holding Haku's hand. Gaara held tightly onto mine and his expression hardened as we got closer to the house. We were several feet away from it and I could hear the music blasting and see the teenagers dancing inside the messy space. This is definitely not the kind of party that I would go to.

We stepped inside of the house by entering the already open door and I smelled something so strong and overwhelming that I almost fell back. Alcohol. Kiba brought us to a party that served alcohol. Unbelievable. But what was even more unbelievable was that the quarterback seemed to be expecting us, or rather, Haku. When he walked up to him with a dirty smile on his face and a drink in his hand, I noticed that Kiba had disappeared.

"Glad you could make it, cutie," said the quarterback. "Want a drink?"

"I don't drink," Haku said.

"Come on. Don't be such a-"

"I don't drink," Haku repeated. I could have sworn that I heard several voices speaking in time with him just like yesterday, but I wasn't sure. The voices sounded faint, softer than whispers.

"Let's go," Gaara said, holding tighter onto my hand.

"Haku," I said. "Come on."

The gypsy turned to leave with us but the quarterback grabbed him by the arm and yanked him towards himself. Already outside, I moved to go back inside the building but Gaara held me back. I turned to question him but he wasn't looking at me. He was watching Haku. I was so focused on the situation that I hadn't even felt the sand brushing against my hand. Gaara was ready to save him if he had to.

The quarterback fixed Haku with confidence in his eyes and then rested his large hand on Haku's slender shoulder. He continued to persist in getting Haku to drink alcohol. "I think you're thirsty."

My gypsy didn't respond with the multiple voices this time. Instead, he sighed heavily like he was submitting to defeat. "You're right. I could use a drink."

This earned a smile from the quarterback and he handed Haku the cup. He didn't take it though. He continued to stare at the stupid teenager in front of him with dangerous eyes. I was going to break free from Gaara but I froze. I could have sworn that I saw a white light pulsate around Haku, but I wasn't sure. The answer that I was seeking soon followed when the same light came off of Haku in waves, and his eyes glowed a bright white. In seconds, the white light coming off in waves around Haku turned blue and then the room turning blue soon followed in suit. Haku's eyes went back to normal as he stepped away from the quarterback to meet us at the door. Gaara's and my mouth dropped at what Haku did. He stopped time. When the hell did he learn how to do that?

"We should go before they break out of it," Haku said, slipping past us to go outside.

Gaara and I exchanged glances before leaving with Haku to go back to the church. On the way there, I asked "Did you know that was going to happen?"

"Yes," he said. "But before you become angry, I did it to get Kiba to leave me alone once and for all. I knew that this was his intention all along."

"To deliver you to the quarterback of the football team?"

"No. That was not part of the plan. All he wanted to do was get me intoxicated." I was going to ask where Kiba disappeared to when Haku answered before I could ask. "He went to get me a drink." My friend stopped in front of the church to bow to Gaara and me to apologize. "I am sorry for bringing you there, but I knew that Hinata would not let me go anywhere without her. This will never happen again."

Even though I should be, I could not get mad at Haku. He does everything with the purest of intentions and never means to harm anyone. So when he decided that this was the only way to get rid of Kiba, it must have been difficult. I know that he hates using people he cares about for self-gain. I figured that this was what he was pondering about when he was staring out of the window at the Yakiniku Q.

Instead of chastising Haku for tugging us along, I hugged him and said "Don't ever do that again."

He hugged me back. "I won't."

We released each other and Haku went up the stairs to the church. I smiled and said "Tell your father I said hi."

He smiled back, showing me his teeth. "Okay."

When he disappeared into the building, Gaara laced his fingers through mine, making my heart skip several beats. He kissed me on the mouth and asked "The night went a little too fast for me and I feel as though I have not seen enough of you. Do you want to come to my hotel room?"

I thought about it for a moment even though I shouldn't have thought about it at all. The familiar, uncomfortable sensation of guilt attacked me for even considering going to the Senju with him, and, just like that, what Neji said to me yesterday came back to me. What Neji said isn't true. It can't be. What I'm beginning to feel for Gaara is real and I know it. So I ignored the awful feeling in my stomach and smiled against his soft lips. "Sure."

After kissing me once again, Gaara led me to the Senju and the whole way there the guilt never left. I was hoping to get a hold of myself on the way there but I never did. The guilt was too strong.

Security greeted us at the French doors and I could tell that they were skeptical about letting me enter with the Kazekage, especially at this hour. But, regardless, Gaara took me inside the same suite that he had the first time we met and brought me to the bedroom. When we got inside the room, I realized that Gaara's palms were sweaty.

"You don't have to be nervous," I told him. "It's only me."

"I know," he said, lacing his fingers through my hair. "But I am always nervous around you. I think you are so amazing and beautiful that I fear if I make even the slightest mistake you will leave me." Gaara caressed my face and then trailed down to the necklace that he made me. "Sometimes I wake up in the morning and cannot believe that there is someone out there in the world who accepts me for who I am, what I am. And it is amazing that someone so beautiful does not judge me and is not afraid of me." My boyfriend removed his hand from my necklace to take my hand. He brought my hand up to his lips and brushed them against the back of it. "I know that we have not known each other long, but you are all I think about. Every day, in my dreams, when I wake up, when I work you are always there. I can never stop thinking about you. And when I see you and hear your voice, my heart beats so fast that I get dizzy and butterflies swarm in my stomach… I think that I am falling in love with you. Hard."

I ran my fingers through Gaara's auburn hair and kissed him hard on the mouth, making him gasp from the sudden attack. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling my body hard against his. Gaara returned my kiss with just as much passion as I had given him. When we pulled apart, I whispered on his lips "I think I am, too."

My words were not true. I felt the dishonesty with every word that escaped from my mouth. I wasn't falling in love with Gaara, I wasn't even remotely close. But even though I knew that, I continued to lie to him knowing just how strongly he felt about me. Why was I doing this? I'm not sure. All I know is that my heart suddenly began to ache for some strange reason and I wanted to stop the pain somehow. And, odd as it may sound, kissing and touching Gaara made me forget all about the pain that I was feeling even if it was just for a short while. However, I didn't want to forget the pain, I wanted to expel it for good. And the only way to do that was to touch Gaara.

So that was what I was going to do.

"Come on," I said, taking his hands in mine and leading him over to the massive bed by the windows. I sat beside him and claimed his lips again. But, this time, I kissed him with more fervor than before, which took him by surprise. He caught on quickly and his hands found my waist once he learned how to keep up. I took that as a chance to push him down on the mattress and straddle him. This made Gaara even more nervous, reminding me that he was a virgin.

I broke the kiss momentarily to unbutton his shirt. As soon as I finished, Gaara fisted my hair and brought my lips back up to his. I dominated with burning lust and soon returned to his bare chest by kissing my way down his body. He sighed in pleasure below me as I got farther down. I stopped before I got to his pants and smiled on his skin. I didn't want to jump right into sex. I wanted to have a little more fun first, so I removed my shirt and my jeans and thanked god that I decided to wear matching underwear today. He gawked at my body with wide eyes and swallowed hard.

Even though I initiated it, I couldn't help but to blush. To hide my embarrassment, I kissed my boyfriend's neck and ghosted a hand over his chest. This earned a soft moan from him as he gently slid his hands down my back. I shivered at the way he touched me and grinded my body on his to feel more of him. I sighed softly on his neck and prompted to remove his shirt, which he more than happily did for me and even took off his designer jeans as a bonus.

Once his clothing was completely removed, I thought about what I was doing. Taking Gaara's virginity to rid myself of the sudden pain that arrived in my chest when we got here wasn't right no matter how I looked at it. It was so hard not to continue because every time I thought about stopping, the pain returned to me. Nevertheless, after a few more kisses, I decided to stop. Gaara didn't make it easy for me to get away though and I eventually stopped trying to get away all together.

Every time my lips left his, his mouth was on mine once again, and to make it all worse, he switched positions. Losing my fingers (and myself) in Gaara once more, I pulled Gaara down to give him another kiss. But as we kissed, the Kazekage slid his hands around me to unhook my bra. I arched my back so that he could get it off and he blushed even more when he got a good, hard look at my chest. He was blushing too, but not for the same reason I was. I had already felt his hungry body pressed on mine when I removed my clothing. Now he was starving with need.

Finally choosing to put my boyfriend out of his misery (and myself out of my emotional misery), I brushed my lips against his one more time before sliding my hands into his boxers. My eyes met his to confirm if it was okay to take off his last piece of clothing only to be met by the same gaze. I gave Gaara a long, deep kiss as a response and everything came off. I don't know whether the guards heard us during the night or not, but neither of us seemed to care. We called out each other's names carelessly, along with other pleasurable sounds, into the night thinking only of the mind blowing pleasure as we drowned in our partner's body.

The sun's bright light hit me right in the face, waking me up from the night long escapade I had with Gaara. I lifted an arm to shield my face from the harsh light only to find no limbs of mine available. Gaara had them all. I woke up to the same position we fell asleep in last night, the Kazekage's arms wrapped around me and my back pressed snuggly against his rock hard abdomen. One of my hands had somehow got trapped under the plush pillows during the night, and the fingers that belonged to my other hand were laced through Gaara's. I sighed and relaxed against my boyfriend's body.

The pain was gone. I was deprived from guilt, that strange painful feeling in my chest, and any other negative emotions, and I was instead filled with satisfaction. Sex was the remedy for it and I was glad that it was gone. And now that I am officially free, I can focus on Gaara's and my relationship (if I can bring myself to forget about Deidara) without having second thoughts on what I am really doing with the Kazekage.

"You're awake," Gaara said. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I said with a smile. I got out of his hold to face him. We kissed and I asked "How are you feeling?"

He smiled brightly. "Great." He paused and looked embarrassed. "That was my first time you know."

I masked that I knew he was a virgin with an incredible lie. "Oh, really? I had no idea."

Unfortunately, he saw right through me. "You don't have to lie, Hinata. You've known for a while now, right?"

"Y-Yeah… But you were great on your first try and this time I'm not lying."

"Thanks."

As soon as our lips met, my cell phone vibrated on the bedside. I opened it to find several text messages from Sakura. But the most recent one said "Where the hell are you?" Confused, I looked at the clock and gasped at the time. It was slightly pass ten o' clock. Everyone was in Literature right now.

"I have to go," I told Gaara. "I need to get to school."

I'm sure that Neji was worried last night when I never came home; then again, Haku might have told him where I went… Regardless, he's still going to be mad at me for not contacting him. I'm dead when I see him in gym today.

"Take a shower and brush your teeth here," Gaara said. "I'll go back to your apartment to get your uniform and underwear. And I'll escort you there myself. You won't need an excuse if I'm the one to drop you off."

I looked up at him. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem." Our lips smashed together and then he said "Go get in the shower. I'll be back soon."

So I got off the super king sized mattress to get in the expensive shower. My boyfriend returned with my clothing not too long after I finished up in the bathroom and we left to Konoha High. The secretaries in the office didn't say a word when they saw that the Kazekage brought me to school and let me go to class without incident. Not even Iruka sensei said anything when I walked in and took my seat beside Sakura and in front of Ino.

The first thing Ino asked me was "Did you have sex with Gaara?"

"Ino!" Sakura said.

"What? _You_ were the one who was all worried about her. I'm doing you a favor, Sakura."

I smiled largely. "Yes, Ino. We did it."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"But, Hinata," Sakura said with a frown. "Don't you think having sex with Gaara was a little too soon. I mean, even though you seem okay, you broke up with Sasuke not too long ago. Not only that, you and Gaara haven't even been dating for a month yet."

I furrowed my eyebrows and seconds later the guilt that I thought I was rid of returned, only this time it was stronger. Sakura was right. What was I thinking? While I was numb to the pain of breaking up with Sasuke, the pain in my chest must have been because I was finally beginning to feel it. The aching came on suddenly right before I decided to sleep with the Kazekage, so I should have known what it was. Was that my heart telling me no, or was it the feeling of heart break? I wasn't sure so I could only ask myself: what if Neji was right? What if I only hooked up with the Kazekage to replace Sasuke? What if I slept with Gaara to avoid feeling the pain at all? If that's the case, then I just used Gaara for my own selfish reasons. I got caught up in the moment, tricked him with my false words, and took his virginity. I should have noticed sooner that what I was feeling wasn't real. I am such a horrible person… Do I even like Gaara the way that I thought I liked him? Obviously not if I could just use him like that for self-gain. I know that I still have feelings for Sasuke, but I'm not in love with him anymore, so the pain that I felt couldn't possibly have been from heart break, right? I am so confused.

"The only way to get over an old love is to have sex with a new love, right, Hinata?" Ino said. "Don't worry about it."

"How can she not be worried?" Sakura hissed. "She slept with the Kazekage and it meant nothing."

"I do it all of the time. The guilt will pass," Ino said, brushing Sakura off.

"Girls," Iruka called from the front of the room. "No talking."

Ino grumbled something under her breath and returned to her opened textbook. I decided to pull mine out, too, and found the page that everyone was on. I couldn't concentrate though. My thoughts were elsewhere and I just couldn't focus on reading right now. I felt disgusting and a little in denial. I never thought that I could take advantage of someone and, on top of that, I took advantage of someone who trusted me more than anyone, someone who was falling in love with me and even admitted it to me right before I did what I did. I am such a horrible person and I've got to apologize to Gaara as soon as I get the chance.

But right now wasn't the time to think about that. Right now I had to read whether I felt like it or not. So I buried my face into my textbook to try to read but I felt like someone was watching me. I lifted my head to scan the room and it did not take me long to find who was staring at me.

It was Kiba and he looked very pale. His eyes were bloodshot (probably from drinking and god knows what), and he looked miserable.

I wasn't all that concerned about him at the moment so my attention shifted to the seat behind him to find no Haku there. Instead I found a very pissed off Naruto trying to focus on the book and doing his best not to look at his best friend. I automatically knew that the gypsy had told Naruto and Deidara what had happened last night judging by Naruto's expression alone. So, searching for Haku, I found him beside Deidara at the front of the room. I saw Deidara lean over to him with an impish smile on his face and ask him something. Annoyed, Haku responded with a smart-assed comment that irritated the blonde vampire.

My eyes went back to Kiba who was now reading his textbook. Should I feel bad for him? No, and I don't. Do I want to beat the crap out of him? Yes, and I just might. If I beat him up I get two things out of it. One, it'll teach him a lesson about trying to trick people into drinking alcohol to (what I assume) have your way with them. And two, I might be able to release how crappy I'm feeling about myself for using someone that I cared about to take away my pain.

Somehow I was able to make it throughout the day without hurting Kiba or breaking down from guilt, but I wasn't able to escape Neji's interrogation in gym. He wanted to know where I was (even though Haku had already told him), why I didn't contact him, how I missed my alarm on my phone, and what I was doing that distracted me. I told him the truth for every question that he asked me but I evaded the last one. No way did I want my cousin to know that I was having sex.

I expected Neji to interrogate me further when we got home, but he asked me something else instead. "Haku didn't say much about the date to me. What happened?"

I sat down on the couch. "Well, to sum it all up, Kiba is a jerk. Haku didn't want anything to do with him before the date and he still doesn't." I sat forward on the couch, recalling how my cousin acted when Gaara and I left to go pick up Haku. This thought hadn't crossed my mind until now and I chose to ask Neji now. "Neji, what do you think of Haku?"

His eyes widened. "Why do you ask that?"

I bit my bottom lip and wondered if I should press further. "Because you sounded a little jealous when I first told you about Kiba. If… If there's anything you want to tell me, anything at all, you can. You can trust me."

He stood next to the couch with his arms crossed, thinking of whether to tell me or not. "If I tell you, do not tell anyone, Hinata."

"I won't. I promise."

He exhaled heavily and brushed his hair out of his face. "I find Haku attractive."

I blinked a few times. "A lot of guys do. The entire student male body gawks at him when he enters a room."

"It's different for me," he said. "When he walks into a room, I don't look at him like he's a piece of meat. I take the time to appreciate his beauty. He is the most beautiful person that I have ever seen and the fact that he is so caring and compassionate makes it unbearable for me to be around him sometimes. And I don't just want his body like the perverts at school do. I want to take the time to get to know him better so that one day he'll want to be mine and I can have him, all of him."

I smiled softly. "Are you in love with him?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to tell him that you like him?"

"I don't know."

"Is this why you hate it when he heals you? Because he's so pretty?"

"I thought that he was already captivating enough without looking like that. When he healed me for the first time, my breath caught and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like staring at an angel." He laughed humorlessly to himself. "I'm not normally like this, Hinata. I don't like boys."

"Haku is a special case. And even if you did like boys, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're still the same Neji that I grew up with." He turned away from me, chewing his bottom lip. "Neji, I'll love you no matter what. Just tell him how you feel."

"He likes Sasuke, though."

"Sasuke isn't an obstacle. I don't think Sasuke will be experimenting with Haku any time soon. And when Haku realizes this, it'll only be a matter of time before he finds someone else. You can't wait too long to tell him how you feel."

"How can I tell him how I feel when I don't even know myself?" he asked, sitting down beside me.

I looked him in the eyes. "You know how you feel about him, Neji."

He held my gaze for several seconds before groaning and letting his head fall to the back of the couch. I gave him a wry smile and squeezed his hand. Surely he wasn't so ashamed to like a boy that he'd push it aside, right? Subconsciously he had been desiring Haku without even suspecting that it could be love. And if he hadn't been aware of his true feelings until now, is it even possible for him to tell the gypsy everything?

Neji squeezing my hand back snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked back at him. Leaning forward on the couch with me, he said softly, "I _am_ in love with Haku." He turned to me. "I want you to be there when I tell him. I can't do it on my own."

"You know that I will."

"But I don't want to tell him now, not yet. I want to wait until all of this _slayer_ mess is resolved."

I nodded at him with a smile. He gave me a wry one in return but then he gave his attention to the door and stood up slowly from the couch. I stood up, too and was about to ask what was wrong when a frantic knock came at our door. I rushed to it with Neji following closely behind me. When I answered it, we were met by an exhausted Naruto and a pale Deidara.

"You need to come with us. Now," Deidara said almost robotically.

Neji and I exchanged glances and followed our friends without question. Haku was standing right outside the apartment building looking deathly pale and glassy eyed. When Neji rested a hand on his shoulder, Haku jumped and stared up at him on the verge of tears.

"Something is wrong," Haku whispered.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked.

"I… I don't know. They," I looked up towards the sky again like an idiot when he said "they", "told me not to go to the church, so I went to Naruto's house. While I was there, my skin felt very hot… It felt like I was burning alive, and then a horrible feeling in my gut hit me not very long after the pain ceased. When I tried to contact Sasuke, I could not locate him. Something is wrong, very wrong." The gypsy buried his face in one of his hands to hide his tears.

My cousin wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him close. "Don't worry. I'm sure that Sasuke is fine." Neji turned to everyone else. "Let's go to the church to see what's happening."

The five of us headed to the church with Haku still wrapped in Neji's arms. As we got closer and closer to the building, the air felt heavier around us. When we were right around the corner of our destination, the air became so thick that it was almost hard to breathe in. It did not feel normal. My gut told me that it was a barrier put up to keep out unwanted visitors and that's why Haku could not find Sasuke and why he could not go near the building. But why did someone want to keep people out? What was going on?

"What the fuck?" Deidara said, stopping right in the middle of the sidewalk.

Haku covered his mouth to suppress a sob at what he saw and buried his face into Neji's side.

"Who could have done this?" Naruto asked, moving slowly towards the building.

"_Slayers_," Neji answered scornfully through gritted teeth.

My body entered autopilot and I moved slowly to the church, the building where it all began. This was where I had met Sasuke, where I learned about vampires and werewolves and other creatures, where I got closer to Naruto, and my safe haven from Deidara when he was a sadistic monster. It was also because of this place that I met all of the wonderful people that I knew today…

And now it was destroyed.

Letting my knees drop to the ground beneath me, I allowed my hands to be swallowed by the ashes of what used to be the church. I let my hands and legs turn black in its remnants as I searched for even the slightest thing that could be saved, wood, a piece of furniture, anything. But what I found instead created a huge lump in my throat and shattered me in two.

Buried in the ashes and soot was the silver locket that Itachi had given Sasuke.


End file.
